foundations of nursing test bank Related

Review foundations of nursing test bank related questions and content

A nurse has asked the nurse educator if there is any way to predict the severity of a patients anaphylactic reaction. What would be the nurses best response?

  • A. The faster the onset of symptoms, the more severe the reaction.
  • B. The reaction will be about one-third more severe than the patients last reaction to the same antigen.
  • C. There is no way to gauge the severity of a patients anaphylaxis, even if it has occurred repeatedly in the past.
  • D. The reaction will generally be slightly less severe than the last reaction to the same antigen.
Correct Answer: C

Rationale: The correct answer is C because the severity of an anaphylactic reaction can vary greatly from one episode to another in the same patient. Anaphylactic reactions are unpredictable and can be influenced by various factors such as the amount of allergen exposure, individual immune response, underlying health conditions, and concurrent medications. Therefore, it is not possible to reliably gauge the severity of a patient's anaphylactic reaction even if it has occurred repeatedly in the past.

Choice A is incorrect because the onset of symptoms alone is not a reliable predictor of the severity of the reaction. Choice B is incorrect as well because there is no set formula to predict that the reaction will be one-third more severe than the patient's last reaction. Choice D is incorrect because stating that the reaction will generally be slightly less severe than the last reaction is also not accurate or supported by evidence.