Difficulty: Medium
Average Score: 87%
Simulated
Passage / Scenario
A child has been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and is being treated with chemotherapy.Before administering the chemotherapy, the nurse will determine if this child has any infection-fighting capability by monitoring the:
Correct answer
A
Rationale
Rationale: A) Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) is crucial for assessing infection-fighting capability before chemotherapy as neutrophils are key immune cells. Neutrophils help defend against bacterial and fungal infections, making ANC monitoring essential. B) Eosinophils primarily target parasites and are not as indicative of infection-fighting ability as neutrophils. C) Red blood cell count (RBC) and D) Hemoglobin (Hgb) are related to oxygen-carrying capacity but not directly involved in infection defense like neutrophils.