Difficulty: Medium
Average Score: 83%
Simulated
The nurse is preparing to administer warfarin (Coumadin), an oral anticoagulant, to a client diagnosed with a pulmonary embolus. Which data would cause the nurse to question administering the medication?
Correct answer
B
Rationale
An INR of 5 (B) is above the therapeutic range (2ÔÇô3 for pulmonary embolus), indicating excessive anticoagulation and bleeding risk, so warfarin should be questioned. PTT (A) is for heparin, not warfarin. PT (C) alone is not standardized. ESR (D) is irrelevant to anticoagulation.