Nokea
A female patient has presented to the emergency department with right upper quadrant pain; the physician has ordered abdominal ultrasound to rule out cholecystitis (gallbladder infection). The patient expresses concern to the nurse about the safety of this diagnostic procedure. How should the nurse best respond?
- A. Abdominal ultrasound is very safe, but it can't be performed if you're pregnant.
- B. Abdominal ultrasound poses no known safety risks of any kind.
- C. Current guidelines state that a person can have up to 3 ultrasounds per year.
- D. Current guidelines state that a person can have up to 6 ultrasounds per year.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: An ultrasound produces no ill effects and there are not specific limits on its use, even during pregnancy.
You may also like to solve these questions
A nurse is caring for a patient who is scheduled for a colonoscopy and whose bowel preparation will include polyethylene glycol electrolyte lavage prior to the procedure. The presence of what health problem would contraindicate the use of this form of bowel preparation?
- A. Inflammatory bowel disease
- B. Intestinal polyps
- C. Diverticulitis
- D. Colon cancer
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The use of a lavage solution is contraindicated in patients with intestinal obstruction or inflammatory bowel disease. It can safely be used with patients who have polyps, colon cancer, or diverticulitis.
A nursing student has auscultated a patient's abdomen and noted one or two bowel sounds in a 2-minute period of time. How would you tell the student to document the patient's bowel sounds?
- A. Normal
- B. Hypoactive
- C. Hyperactive
- D. Paralytic ileus
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Documenting bowel sounds is based on assessment findings. The terms normal (sounds heard about every 5 to 20 seconds), hypoactive (one or two sounds in 2 minutes), hyperactive (5 to 6 sounds heard in less than 30 seconds), or absent (no sounds in 3 to 5 minutes) are frequently used in documentation. Paralytic ileus is a medical diagnosis that may cause absent or hypoactive bowel sounds, but the nurse would not independently document this diagnosis.
An inpatient has returned to the medical unit after a barium enema. When assessing the patient's subsequent bowel patterns and stools, what finding should the nurse report to the physician?
- A. Large, wide stools
- B. Milky white stools
- C. Three stools during an 8-hour period of time
- D. Streaks of blood present in the stool
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Barium has a high osmolarity and may draw fluid into the bowel, thus increasing the intraluminal contents and resulting in greater output (large stools). The barium will give the stools a milky white appearance, and it is not uncommon for the patient to experience an increase in the number of bowel movements. Blood in fecal matter is not an expected finding and the nurse should notify the physician.
A nurse is performing an abdominal assessment of an older adult patient. When collecting and analyzing data, the nurse should be cognizant of what age-related change in gastrointestinal structure and function?
- A. Increased gastric motility
- B. Decreased gastric pH
- C. Increased gag reflex
- D. Decreased mucus secretion
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Older adults tend to secrete less mucus than younger adults. Gastric motility slows with age and gastric pH rises due to decreased secretion of gastric acids. Older adults tend to have a blunted gag reflex compared to younger adults.
A clinic patient has described recent dark-colored stools; the nurse recognizes the need for fecal occult blood testing (FOBT). What aspect of the patient's current health status would contraindicate FOBT?
- A. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
- B. Peptic ulcers
- C. Hemorrhoids
- D. Recurrent nausea and vomiting
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: FOBT should not be performed when there is hemorrhoidal bleeding. GERD, peptic ulcers and nausea and vomiting do not contraindicate the use of FOBT as a diagnostic tool.