QLexNursing

🧠 The client has Parkinson’s disease, which commonly causes oropharyngeal and esophageal dysphagia due to impaired muscle coordination and motor control.

🧠 The nurse’s note that the client “coughs when eating” and that the voice is hoarse after swallowing are classic signs of impaired swallowing and possible aspiration of food or liquids into the airway.

🧠 The swallowing examination confirms an upper gastrointestinal motility disorder, which further supports that the client has dysphagia and difficulty safely moving the bolus from mouth to esophagus.

🧠 Dysphagia significantly increases the risk of aspiration, which can lead to aspiration pneumonia, respiratory distress, or airway obstruction, especially in neurologic conditions like Parkinson’s.

🧠 Therefore, the most accurate and priority-focused completion is that the client is at risk for aspiration due to dysphagia, and interventions like swallow precautions, modified diet, and possibly speech therapy are essential.

Circulatory overload

🧠 There is no evidence in the scenario of excess IV fluids, heart failure, kidney failure, or edema that would suggest circulatory overload.

🧠 Vital signs and assessment focus on swallowing issues, not fluid volume excess, so this is not the main risk described.

Dysrhythmias

🧠 The client’s potassium level is 3.6 mEq/L, which is within the normal range (3.5–5.0 mEq/L) and does not indicate a high risk for electrolyte-induced dysrhythmias.

🧠 There is no mention of chest pain, palpitations, or ECG changes, so dysrhythmias are not the primary concern in this context.

Temperature

🧠 The temperature is 38° C (100.4° F), which indicates a low-grade fever, possibly related to infection, but it is not the primary cause of aspiration risk.

🧠 Aspiration is more directly related to swallowing function, not mild elevation in temperature.

Potassium level

🧠 The potassium level is normal, so it does not explain any specific risk in this scenario, especially not aspiration.

🧠 Potassium abnormalities would be more associated with muscle weakness or dysrhythmias, not directly with impaired swallowing from Parkinson’s disease.