As treatment for hypertensive crisis, a patient has received sodium nitroprusside for three days. the nurse recognizes that it is important to assess the patient's thiocyanate levels for what reason?

It is important that the patient be assessed of thiocyanate levels because nitroprusside can harm the patient in three major ways namely: direct vasodilation that ends in dysrhythmias and hypotension; poisoning that result in nausea, altered mental condition and stomach pains; and may even result in respiratory arrest, coma or metabolic acidosis.