During preparation for bowel surgery, a male client receives an antibiotic to reduce
intestinal bacteria. Antibiotic therapy may interfere with synthesis of which vitamin and
may lead to hypoprothrombinemia?
A. vitamin A
B. vitamin D
C. vitamin E
D. vitamin K - Answer D. vitamin K
Intestinal bacteria synthesize such nutritional substances as vitamin K, thiamin,
riboflavin, vitamin B12, folic acid, biotin, and nicotinic acid. Therefore, antibiotic therapy
may interfere with synthesis of these substances, including vitamin K. Intestinal bacteria
don't synthesize vitamins A, D, or E.
When evaluating a male client for complications of acute pancreatitis, the nurse would
observe for:
A. increased intracranial pressure
B. decreased urine output
C. bradycardia
D. hypertension - Answer B. decreased urine output
Acute pancreatitis can cause decreased urine output, which results from the renal
failure that sometimes accompanies this condition. Intracranial pressure neither
increases nor decreases in a client with pancreatitis. Tachycardia, not bradycardia,
usually is associated with pulmonary or hypovolemic complications of pancreatitis.
Hypotension can be caused by a hypovolemic complication, but hypertension usually
isn't related to acute pancreatitis.
A male client with a recent history of rectal bleeding is being prepared for a
colonoscopy. How should the nurse position the client for this test initially?
A. Lying on the right side with legs straight
B. Lying on the left side with knees bent
C. Prone with the torso elevated
D. Bent over with hands touching the floor - Answer B. Lying on the left side with knees
bent
For a colonoscopy, the nurse initially should position the client on the left side with
knees bent. Placing the client on the right side with legs straight, prone with the torso
elevated, or bent over with hands touching the floor wouldn't allow proper visualization
of the large intestine.
A male client with extreme weakness, pallor, weak peripheral pulses, and disorientation
is admitted to the emergency department. His wife reports that he has been "spitting up
blood." A Mallory-Weiss tear is suspected, and the nurse begins taking a client history
from the client's wife. The question by the nurse that demonstrates her understanding of
Mallory-Weiss tearing is:
A. "Tell me about your husband's alcohol usage."
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B. "Is your husband being treated for tuberculosis?"
C. "Has your husband recently fallen or injured his chest?"
D. "Describe spices and condiments your husband uses on food." - Answer A. "Tell me
about your husband's alcohol usage."
A Mallory-Weiss tear is associated with massive bleeding after a tear occurs in the
mucous membrane at the junction of the esophagus and stomach. There is a strong
relationship between ethanol usage, resultant vomiting, and a Mallory-Weiss tear. The
bleeding is coming from the stomach, not from the lungs as would be true in some
cases of tuberculosis. A Mallory-Weiss tear doesn't occur from chest injuries or falls and
isn't associated with eating spicy foods.
Which of the following nursing interventions should the nurse perform for a female client
receiving enteral feedings through a gastrostomy tube?
A. Change the tube feeding solutions and tubing at least every 24 hours.
B. Maintain the head of the bed at a 15-degree elevation continuously.
C Check the gastrostomy tube for position every 2 days.
D. Maintain the client on bed rest during the feedings. - Answer A. Change the tube
feeding solutions and tubing at least every 24 hours.
Tube feeding solutions and tubing should be changed every 24 hours, or more
frequently if the feeding requires it. Doing so prevents contamination and bacterial
growth. The head of the bed should be elevated 30 to 45 degrees continuously to
prevent aspiration. Checking for gastrostomy tube placement is performed before
initiating the feedings and every 4 hours during continuous feedings. Clients may
ambulate during feedings.
The nurse is caring for a male client with cirrhosis. Which assessment findings indicate
that the client has deficient vitamin K absorption caused by this hepatic disease?
A. Dyspnea and fatigue
B. Ascites and orthopnea
C. Purpura and petechiae
D. Gynecomastia and testicular atrophy - Answer C. Purpura and petechiae
A hepatic disorder, such as cirrhosis, may disrupt the liver's normal use of vitamin K to
produce prothrombin (a clotting factor). Consequently, the nurse should monitor the
client for signs of bleeding, including purpura and petechiae. Dyspnea and fatigue
suggest anemia. Ascites and orthopnea are unrelated to vitamin K absorption.
Gynecomastia and testicular atrophy result from decreased estrogen metabolism by the
diseased liver.
Which condition is most likely to have a nursing diagnosis of fluid volume deficit?
A. Appendicitis
B. Pancreatitis
C. Cholecystitis
D. Gastric ulcer - Answer B. Pancreatitis
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Hypovolemic shock from fluid shifts is a major factor in acute pancreatitis. The other
conditions are less likely to exhibit fluid volume deficit.
While a female client is being prepared for discharge, the nasogastric (NG) feeding tube
becomes cloggeD. To remedy this problem and teach the client's family how to deal
with it at home, what should the nurse do?
A. Irrigate the tube with cola
B. Advance the tube into the intestine
C. Apply intermittent suction to the tube
D. Withdraw the obstruction with a 30-ml syringe - Answer A. Irrigate the tube with cola
The nurse should irrigate the tube with cola because its effervescence and acidity are
suited to the purpose, it's inexpensive, and it's readily available in most homes.
Advancing the NG tube is inappropriate because the tube is designed to stay in the
stomach and isn't long enough to reach the intestines. Applying intermittent suction or
using a syringe for aspiration is unlikely to dislodge the material clogging the tube but
may create excess pressure. Intermittent suction may even collapse the tube.
A male client with pancreatitis complains of pain. The nurse expects the physician to
prescribe meperidine (Demerol) instead of morphine to relieve pain because:
A. meperidine provides a better, more prolonged analgesic effect.
B. morphine may cause spasms of Oddi's sphincter.
C. meperidine is less addictive than morphine.
D. morphine may cause hepatic dysfunction. - Answer B. morphine may cause spasms
of Oddi's sphincter.
For a client with pancreatitis, the physician will probably avoid prescribing morphine
because this drug may trigger spasms of the sphincter of Oddi (a sphincter at the end of
the pancreatic duct), causing irritation of the pancreas. Meperidine has a somewhat
shorter duration of action than morphine. The two drugs are equally addictive. Morphine
isn't associated with hepatic dysfunction.
Mandy, an adolescent girl is admitted to an acute care facility with severe malnutrition.
After a thorough examination, the physician diagnoses anorexia nervosa. When
developing the plan of care for this client, the nurse is most likely to include which
nursing diagnosis?
A. Hopelessness
B. Powerlessness
C. Chronic low self esteem
D. Deficient knowledge - Answer C. Chronic low self esteem
Young women with Chronic low self esteem — are at highest risk for anorexia nervosa
because they perceive being thin as a way to improve their self-confidence.
Hopelessness and Powerlessness are inappropriate nursing diagnoses because clients
with anorexia nervosa seldom feel hopeless or powerless; instead, they use food to