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NR 325: Exam 3 Study Questions with correct answers newest review
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NR 325: Exam 3 Study Questions withcorrect answers newest review
Chapter 39: Gastrointestinal System
1. The nurse is performing an assessment of an 80-year-old patient. Which information obtained
by the nurse will be of most concern?
a. Decreased appetite
b. Difficulty chewing food
c. Unintentional weight loss
d. Complaints of indigestion - ANS ANS: C
Unintentional weight loss is not a normal finding in older patients and may indicate a problem
such as cancer or depression. Poor appetite, difficulty in chewing, and complaints of indigestion
are common in older patients. These will need to be addressed, but are not of as much concern
as the weight loss
2. To promote bowel evacuation in a patient with chronic complaints of constipation, the nurse
will suggest that the patient should attempt defecation
a. in the mid-afternoon.
b. after eating breakfast.
c. right after getting up in the morning.
d. immediately before the first daily meal. - ANS ANS: B
These reflexes are most active after the first daily meal. Arising in the morning, the anticipation
of eating, and physical exercise do not stimulate these reflexes.
3. When a patient has a history of a total gastrectomy, the nurse will monitor for clinical
manifestations of
a. constipation.
b. dehydration.
c. elevated total cholesterol.
d. cobalamin (vitamin B12) deficiency. - ANS ANS: D
The patient with a total gastrectomy does not secrete intrinsic factor, which is needed for
cobalamin (vitamin B12) absorption. Because the stomach absorbs only small amounts of water
and nutrients, the patient is not at higher risk for dehydration, elevated cholesterol, or
constipation.
4. The nurse will monitor a patient who has an obstruction of the common bile duct for
a. melena.
b. steatorrhea.
c. decreased serum cholesterol levels.
d. increased serum indirect bilirubin levels. - ANS ANS: B
,A common bile duct obstruction will reduce the absorption of fat in the small intestine, leading to
fatty stools. Gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is not caused by common bile duct obstruction.
Serum cholesterol levels are increased with biliary obstruction. Direct bilirubin level is increased
with biliary obstruction.
5. During change-of-shift report, the nurse receives the following information about a patient
who is scheduled for a colonoscopy. Which information should be communicated to the health
care provider before sending the patient for the procedure?
a. The patient has a permanent pacemaker to prevent bradycardia.
b. The patient is worried about discomfort during the examination.
c. The patient has had an allergic reaction to shellfish and iodine in the past.
d. The patient refused to drink the ordered polyethylene glycol (GoLYTELY). - ANS ANS: D
If the patient has had inadequate bowel preparation, the colon cannot be visualized and the
procedure should be rescheduled. Because contrast solution is not used during colonoscopy,
the iodine allergy is not pertinent. A pacemaker is a contraindication to magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI), but not to colonoscopy. The nurse should instruct the patient about the sedation
used during the examination to decrease the patient's anxiety about discomfort.
6. When the nurse is obtaining a history from a patient who is admitted with jaundice, which
statement is most indicative of a need for patient teaching?
a. "I used cough syrup several times a day last week."
b. "I take a baby aspirin every day to prevent strokes."
c. "I need to take an antacid for indigestion several times a week"
d. "I use acetaminophen (Tylenol) every 4 hours for chronic pain." - ANS ANS: D
Chronic use of high doses of acetaminophen can be hepatotoxic and may have caused the
patient's jaundice. The other patient statements require further assessment by the nurse, but do
not indicate a need for patient education.
7. To palpate the liver, the nurse
a. places one hand on the patient's back and presses upward and inward with the other hand
below the patient's right costal margin.
b. places one hand on top of the other and uses the upper fingers to apply pressure and the
bottom fingers to feel for the liver edge.
c. presses slowly and firmly over the right costal margin with one hand and withdraws the
fingers quickly after the liver edge is felt.
d. places one hand under the patient's lower ribs and presses the left lower rib cage forward,
palpating below the costal margin with the other hand. - ANS ANS: A
The liver is normally not palpable below the costal margin, the nurse needs to push inward
below the right costal margin while lifting the patient's back slightly with the left hand. The other
methods will not allow palpation of the liver.
8. When the nurse is listening to a patient's abdomen, which finding indicates a need for a
focused abdominal assessment?
a. Loud gurgles
,b. High-pitched gurgles
c. Absent bowel sounds
d. Frequent clicking sounds - ANS ANS: C
Absent bowel sounds are abnormal and require further assessment by the nurse. The other
sounds may be heard normally.
9. When caring for a patient following a needle biopsy of the liver at the bedside, the nurse
should
a. put pressure on the biopsy site using a sandbag.
b. elevate the head of the bed to facilitate breathing.
c. place the patient on the right side with the bed flat.
d. check the patient's postbiopsy coagulation studies. - ANS ANS: C
After a biopsy, the patient lies on the right side with the bed flat to splint the biopsy site.
Coagulation studies are checked before the biopsy. A sandbag does not exert adequate
pressure to splint the site.
10. Which information obtained by the nurse when admitting a patient who is scheduled for an
ultrasound of the gallbladder indicates that the ultrasound may need to be rescheduled?
a. The patient has a permanent gastrostomy tube.
b. The patient took a laxative the previous evening.
c. The patient ate a low-fat bagel an hour previously.
d. The patient had a high-fat meal the previous evening. - ANS ANS: C
Food intake can cause the gallbladder to contract and result in a suboptimal study. The patient
should be NPO for 8 to 12 hours before the test. A high-fat meal the previous evening, laxative
use, or a gastrostomy tube will not affect the results of the study.
11. When the nurse is assessing an alert and independent older patient in the clinic for
malnutrition risk, the most appropriate initial question is,
a. "How do you get to the grocery store to buy your food?"
b. "Do you have any difficulty in preparing or eating food?"
c. "Can you tell me the foods that you have eaten over the past 24 hours?"
d. "Are you taking any medications that alter your taste or tolerance of foods?" - ANS ANS: C
This question is the most open-ended and will provide the best overall information about the
patient's daily intake and risk for poor nutrition. The other questions may be asked, depending
on the patient's response to the first question.
12. Which information collected by the nurse when caring for a patient who has just arrived in
the recovery area after an upper endoscopy is most important to communicate to the health
care provider?
a. The patient is very sleepy.
b. The oral temperature is 101.6° F.
c. The apical pulse is 104 beats/minute.
d. The patient complains of a sore throat. - ANS ANS: B
, A temperature elevation may indicate that a perforation has occurred. The other assessment
data are normal immediately after the procedure.
13. Which assessment finding in a patient who is being admitted to the hospital is most
important to report to the health care provider?
a. Tympany on percussion of the abdomen
b. Liver edge 3 cm below the costal margin
c. Bowel sounds of 20/minute in each quadrant
d. Aortic pulsations visible in the epigastric area - ANS ANS: B
Normally the lower border of the liver is not palpable below the ribs, so this finding suggests
hepatomegaly. The other findings are within normal range for the physical assessment.
14. Which action by nursing assistive personnel (NAP) when caring for a patient who has just
returned to the nursing unit after an esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) requires that the RN
intervene?
a. Offering the patient a glass of water
b. Positioning the patient on the right side
c. Checking the vital signs every 30 minutes
d. Swabbing the patient's mouth with cold water - ANS ANS: A
Immediately after EGD, the patient will have a decreased gag reflex and is at risk for aspiration.
Assessment for return of the gag reflex should be done by the RN. The other actions by the
NAP are appropriate.
15. The health care provider sees a patient at 10 AM and writes an order for endoscopic
retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) as soon as possible. Which of these actions that
are included in the agency policy for ERCP should the nurse take first?
a. Place the patient on NPO status.
b. Administer sedative medications.
c. Ensure the consent form is signed.
d. Explain the procedure to the patient. - ANS ANS: A
The patient will need to be NPO for 8 hours before the ERCP is done, so the nurse's initial
action should be to place the patient on NPO status. The other actions can be done after the
patient is NPO.
Chapter 44: Liver, Pancreas, and Biliary Tract Problems - ANS
1. A patient contracts hepatitis from contaminated food. During the acute (icteric) phase of the
patient's illness, the nurse would expect serologic testing to reveal
a. antibody to hepatitis D (anti-HDV).
b. hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg).
c. anti-hepatitis A virus immunoglobulin G (anti-HAV IgG).
d. anti-hepatitis A virus immunoglobulin M (anti-HAV IgM). - ANS ANS: D
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