A 45-year-old male is admitted to the medical unit after passing a kidney stone. He reports severe flank pain rated 8/10, nausea, and blood-tinged urine. The nurse strains all urine as ordered and notes a small, jagged stone in the strainer. Which action should the nurse take next regarding the retrieved stone?
- Crush the stone and mix it with the urine specimen before sending it to the lab.
- Place the stone in a container of sterile normal saline to preserve its composition for analysis.
- Discard the stone after documenting its passage in the medical record.
- Send the stone to the laboratory for chemical analysis and place it in a dry, labeled specimen container.