When monitoring the effectiveness of deferoxamine therapy, what laboratory value should the nurse prioritize?

Monitoring serum iron levels is essential when assessing the effectiveness of deferoxamine therapy because this medication is specifically used to chelate excess iron in the body. Deferoxamine binds with free iron, facilitating its excretion to prevent iron overload, which can lead to serious complications like organ damage, particularly in conditions such as thalassemia or chronic hemolytic anemia.

By prioritizing serum iron levels, the healthcare provider can determine how effectively deferoxamine is removing excess iron from the patient's system. A decrease in serum iron levels indicates that the therapy is working effectively. Tracking these levels allows for appropriate adjustments to the treatment regimen to ensure optimal management of iron overload.

While other lab values, such as platelet count and liver function tests, are also significant in the context of overall health and can provide insights into the patient’s condition or potential side effects of therapy, they do not directly assess the chelation efficacy of deferoxamine. Hemoglobin levels, on the other hand, are more indicative of anemia rather than iron overload status. Therefore, focusing on serum iron levels directly aligns with the primary goal of deferoxamine therapy.