Practice Question
A nurse is caring for a client with type O blood who delivers a newborn with type B blood. Which finding should the nurse anticipate?
Answer Choices:
Correct Answer:
Newborn hyperbilirubinemia
Rationale:
⭐ Newborn hyperbilirubinemia is expected when a mother with type O blood delivers an infant with type A or B blood because this creates an ABO incompatibility.
⭐ The mother naturally has anti-A and anti-B IgG antibodies that can cross the placenta and cause hemolysis of the newborn’s RBCs.
⭐ This hemolysis leads to increased breakdown of red blood cells, causing elevated unconjugated bilirubin, which presents as jaundice within the first 24 hours of life.
⭐ Infants affected may require phototherapy or close bilirubin monitoring to prevent complications such as kernicterus.
⭐ This is the most common cause of early-onset jaundice in otherwise healthy term newborns.
❌ Incorrect Options
Newborn bradycardia
❌ Bradycardia is not associated with ABO incompatibility.
❌ Hemolysis affects bilirubin levels, not the heart rate.
❌ Bradycardia is more commonly seen with hypoxia, heart defects, or hypothermia.
❌ There is no physiologic link to maternal/infant blood group mismatch.
❌ Therefore, this finding should not be anticipated.
Maternal thrombocytopenia
❌ ABO incompatibility affects the newborn, not the mother.
❌ The mother's immune system attacks fetal RBCs, but maternal platelets are unaffected.
❌ Thrombocytopenia may be associated with gestational hypertension or HELLP, not ABO issues.
❌ No hemolytic process happens in the mother.
❌ Thus, this is unrelated.
Maternal hypertension
❌ ABO incompatibility does not cause hypertension in the mother.
❌ Hypertension is linked to preeclampsia, chronic HTN, or gestational HTN, not blood type mismatch.
❌ The incompatibility issue occurs after fetal RBCs enter maternal circulation, but it does not affect maternal BP.
❌ Therefore, this is not an anticipated finding.
❌ Mothers remain asymptomatic in ABO incompatibility.
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This question is from NR324.NR329 Exam 1 Assessment which contains 53 questions.
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Question Details
- Category: RN Nursing Exam(s)
- Subcategory: Examplify Exam(s)
- Domain: Medical-Surgical
- Answer Choices: 4