The mother of a 2-year-old girl tells the emergency room nurse that she found the child playing with an empty bottle of aspirin and that there were pieces of aspirin in her mouth. The nurse should observe the child for symptoms of salicylate poisoning, which include?

Explanation

•Hyperventilation is a symptom of salicylate poisoning that causes loss of carbon dioxide and respiratory alkalosis. Other symptoms include tinnitus, tachycardia, hypotension, arrhythmias, CNS depression, tremors, nausea and vomiting.

•Aspirin causes hyperventiliation, leading to respiratory alkalosis. After the kidney's compensate by excreting bicarbonate, metabolic acidosis may occur due to over compensation.

•The incidence of children ingesting poisonous substances requires teaching parents measures to keep household cleaning agents and medications out of the reach of children.

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