A 44-year-old male client was placed on a daily low-dose aspirin regim

A 44-year-old male client was placed on a daily low-dose aspirin regimen by his health care pro-vider following a recent diagnosis of hypertension and periodic atrial fibrillation. The client is currently hospitalized with renal stones.

As the nurse is admitting the client, he shares that he has been very tired. The nurse gathers addi-tional data regarding his bowel habits. The client shares that he has recently had black, tarry stools. The nurse is most concerned that the client may have:
1. Colon cancer
2. A GI bleed from the aspirin therapy
3. Ongoing atrial fibrillation
4. Electrolyte imbalance

ANSWER

ANS: 2
Although the client could have any one of the items mentioned, it is most likely that the aspirin is causing a GI bleed. The loss of blood can cause the client to be fatigued. Aspirin is a prostaglan-din inhibitor, which interferes with the formation and production of protective mucus and causes GI bleeding.