HAP FINAL EXAM STUDY 2023-2024/ Questions
With Complete Solutions (Grade A+)
Quiz :The nurse is percussing the seventh right intercostal space at the
midclavicular line over the liver. Which sound should the nurse expect to hear?
a. Dullness
b. Tympany
c. Resonance
d. Hyperresonance - √Answer :a (The liver is located in the right upper
quadrant and would elicit a dull percussion note.)
Quiz :Which structure is located in the left lower quadrant of the abdomen?
a.Liver
b.Duodenum
c.Gallbladder
d.Sigmoid colon - √Answer :d (The sigmoid colon is located in the left lower
quadrant of the abdomen.)
Quiz :A patient is having difficulty swallowing medications and food. The nurse
would document that this patient has:
a. Aphasia.
b. Dysphasia.
c. Dysphagia.
d. Anorexia. - √Answer :c (Dysphagia is a condition that occurs with disorders
of the throat or esophagus and results in difficulty swallowing. Aphasia and
dysphasia are speech disorders. Anorexia is a loss of appetite.)
Quiz :The nurse suspects that a patient has a distended bladder. How should
the nurse assess for this condition?
a. Percuss and palpate in the lumbar region.
b. Inspect and palpate in the epigastric region.
c. Auscultate and percuss in the inguinal region.
,d. Percuss and palpate the midline area above the suprapubic bone. -
√Answer :d (Dull percussion sounds would be elicited over a distended
bladder, and the hypogastric area would seem firm to palpation.)
Quiz :The nurse is aware that one change that may occur in the gastrointestinal
system of an aging adult is:
a. Increased salivation.
b. Increased liver size.
c. Increased esophageal emptying.
d. Decreased gastric acid secretion. - √Answer :d (Gastric acid secretion
decreases with aging. As one ages, salivation decreases, esophageal emptying
is delayed, and liver size decreases.)
Quiz :A 22-year-old man comes to the clinic for an examination after falling off
his motorcycle and landing on his left side on the handle bars. The nurse
suspects that he may have injured his spleen. Which of these statements is
true regarding assessment of the spleen in this situation?
a. The spleen can be enlarged as a result of trauma.
b. The spleen is normally felt on routine palpation.
c. If an enlarged spleen is noted, then the nurse should thoroughly palpate to
determine its size.
d. An enlarged spleen should not be palpated because it can easily rupture. -
√Answer :d (If an enlarged spleen is felt, then the nurse should refer the
person and should not continue to palpate it. An enlarged spleen is friable and
can easily rupture with overpalpation.)
Quiz :A patient's abdomen is bulging and stretched in appearance. The nurse
should describe this finding as:
a. Obese.
b. Herniated.
c. Scaphoid.
d. Protuberant. - √Answer :d (A protuberant abdomen is rounded, bulging, and
stretched (see Figure 21-7). A scaphoid abdomen caves inward.)
Quiz :The nurse is describing a scaphoid abdomen. To the horizontal plane, a
scaphoid contour of the abdomen depicts a ______ profile.
a. Flat
b. Convex
c. Bulging
,d. Concave - √Answer :d (Contour describes the profile of the abdomen from
the rib margin to the pubic bone; a scaphoid contour is one that is concave
from a horizontal plane (see Figure 21-7).)
Quiz :While examining a patient, the nurse observes abdominal pulsations
between the xiphoid process and umbilicus. The nurse would suspect that
these are:
a. Pulsations of the renal arteries.
b. Pulsations of the inferior vena cava.
c. Normal abdominal aortic pulsations.
d. Increased peristalsis from a bowel obstruction. - √Answer :c (Normally, the
pulsations from the aorta are observed beneath the skin in the epigastric area,
particularly in thin persons who have good muscle wall relaxation.)
Quiz :A patient has hypoactive bowel sounds. The nurse knows that a potential
cause of hypoactive bowel sounds is:
a. Diarrhea.
b. Peritonitis.
c. Laxative use.
d. Gastroenteritis. - √Answer :B
(Diminished or absent bowel sounds signal decreased motility from
inflammation as exhibited with peritonitis, with paralytic ileus after abdominal
surgery, or with late bowel obstruction.)
Quiz :The nurse is watching a new graduate nurse perform auscultation of a
patient's abdomen. Which statement by the new graduate shows a correct
understanding of the reason auscultation precedes percussion and palpation of
the abdomen?
a. "We need to determine the areas of tenderness before using percussion and
palpation."
b. "Auscultation prevents distortion of bowel sounds that might occur after
percussion and palpation."
c. "Auscultation allows the patient more time to relax and therefore be more
comfortable with the physical examination."
d. "Auscultation prevents distortion of vascular sounds, such as bruits and
hums, that might occur after percussion and palpation." - √Answer :B
(Auscultation is performed first (after inspection) because percussion and
palpation can increase peristalsis, which would give a false interpretation of
bowel sounds.)
, Quiz :The nurse is listening to bowel sounds. Which of these statements is true
of bowel sounds? Bowel sounds:
a. Are usually loud, high-pitched, rushing, and tinkling sounds.
b. Are usually high-pitched, gurgling, and irregular sounds.
c. Sound like two pieces of leather being rubbed together.
d. Originate from the movement of air and fluid through the large intestine. -
√Answer :B
(Bowel sounds are high-pitched, gurgling, and cascading sounds that irregularly
occur from 5 to 30 times per minute. They originate from the movement of air
and fluid through the small intestine.)
Quiz :The physician comments that a patient has abdominal borborygmi. The
nurse knows that this term refers to:
a. Loud continual hum.
b. Peritoneal friction rub.
c. Hypoactive bowel sounds.
d. Hyperactive bowel sounds. - √Answer :D
(Borborygmi is the term used for hyperperistalsis when the person actually
feels his or her stomach growling.)
Quiz :During an abdominal assessment, the nurse would consider which of
these findings as normal?
a. Presence of a bruit in the femoral area
b. Tympanic percussion note in the umbilical region
c. Palpable spleen between the ninth and eleventh ribs in the left midaxillary
line
d. Dull percussion note in the left upper quadrant at the midclavicular line -
√Answer :B
(Tympany should predominate in all four quadrants of the abdomen because
air in the intestines rises to the surface when the person is supine. Vascular
bruits are not usually present. Normally, the spleen is not palpable. Dullness
would not be found in the area of lung resonance (left upper quadrant at the
midclavicular line).)
Quiz :The nurse is assessing the abdomen of a pregnant woman who is
complaining of having "acid indigestion" all the time. The nurse knows that
esophageal reflux during pregnancy can cause:
a. Diarrhea.
b. Pyrosis.
c. Dysphagia.
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