A hospitalized client is prescribed chloral hydrate (Noctec). The nurse includes which action in the plan of care?
A. Monitor apical heart rate every 2 hours.
B. Monitor blood pressure every 4 hours.
C. Instruct the client to call for ambulation assistance.
D. Clear a path to the bathroom at bedtime.
Correct Answer: C. Instruct the client to call for ambulation assistance.
Chloral hydrate is a sedative. Additionally, the client may experience residual daytime sedation; therefore, the nurse should instruct the client to call for ambulation assistance during daytime hours. Chloral hydrate, a sedative, is used in the short-term treatment of insomnia (to help fall asleep and stay asleep for a proper rest) and to relieve anxiety and induce sleep before surgery. It is also used after surgery for pain and to treat alcohol withdrawal.
Option A: This medication does not affect cardiac function. Chloral hydrate is one of the most commonly used sedatives in the clinical setting despite the availability of other sedatives such as midazolam and pentobarbital. It has the characteristics of ease of administration, high success rate, and transient and low prevalence of adverse reactions.
Option B: Blood pressure changes are not significant with the use of this medication. Chloral hydrate is a relatively mild sedative that, when administered orally in doses of 50 to 75?mg/kg, induces sleep without untoward respiratory or hemodynamic complications in most infants.
Option D: A client should call for assistance to the bathroom at night. Older adults may be more sensitive to the side effects of this drug, especially drowsiness and confusion. These side effects can increase the risk of falling.
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