Question

a nurse in a providers office receives a call from a client who was recently hospitalized and treated with imipenem iv for a bacterial infection and reports an inability to eat due to mouth pain. the nurse should identify that the client might be experiencing which of the following as an adverse effect of this medication?
malabsorption
superinfection
anorexia
dental caries

Explanation:

Imipenem is an antibiotic. Antibiotics can disrupt the normal flora in the body. When the normal flora (such as the balance of bacteria and fungi in the mouth) is disrupted, it can lead to a superinfection. A superinfection often presents with symptoms like mouth pain (such as oral thrush - a fungal infection in the mouth which can cause pain and difficulty eating). Malabsorption is more related to problems with nutrient absorption in the gut (not typically presenting as mouth pain). Anorexia is loss of appetite (the client has mouth pain as the reason for not eating, not lack of appetite). Dental caries (cavities) are usually due to poor oral hygiene over time (not a common adverse effect of this antibiotic).

Answer:

B. Superinfection