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A patient has been brought to the emergency department with abdominal pain and is subsequently diagnosed with appendicitis. The patient is scheduled for an appendectomy but questions the nurse about how his health will be affected by the absence of an appendix. How should the nurse best respond?
- A. Your appendix doesn't play a major role, so you won't notice any difference after you recovery from surgery.
- B. The surgeon will encourage you to limit your fat intake for a few weeks after the surgery, but your body will then begin to compensate.
- C. Your body will absorb slightly fewer nutrients from the food you eat, but you won't be aware of this.
- D. Your large intestine will adapt over time to the absence of your appendix.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The appendix is an appendage of the cecum (not the large intestine) that has little or no physiologic function. Its absence does not affect digestion or absorption.
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A patient with a recent history of intermittent bleeding is undergoing capsule endoscopy to determine the source of the bleeding. When explaining this diagnostic test to the patient, what advantage should the nurse describe?
- A. The test allows visualization of the entire peritoneal cavity.
- B. The test allows for painless biopsy collection.
- C. The test does not require fasting.
- D. The test is noninvasive.
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Capsule endoscopy allows the noninvasive visualization of the mucosa throughout the entire small intestine. Bowel preparation is necessary and biopsies cannot be collected. This procedure allows visualization of the entire GI tract, but not the peritoneal cavity.
A nurse is assessing the abdomen of a patient just admitted to the unit with a suspected GI disease. Inspection reveals several diverse lesions on the patient's abdomen. How should the nurse best interpret this assessment finding?
- A. Abdominal lesions are usually due to age-related skin changes.
- B. Integumentary diseases often cause GI disorders.
- C. GI diseases often produce skin changes.
- D. The patient needs to be assessed for self-harm.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Abdominal lesions are of particular importance, because GI diseases often produce skin changes. Skin problems do not normally cause GI disorders. Age-related skin changes do not have a pronounced effect on the skin of the abdomen when compared to other skin surfaces. Self-harm is a less likely explanation for skin lesions on the abdomen.
A patient has come to the outpatient radiology department for diagnostic testing. Which of the following diagnostic procedures will allow the care team to evaluate and remove polyps?
- A. Colonoscopy
- B. Barium enema
- C. ERCP
- D. Upper gastrointestinal fibroscopy
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: During colonoscopy, tissue biopsies can be obtained as needed, and polyps can be removed and evaluated. This is not possible during a barium enema, ERCP, or gastroscopy.
A nurse is caring for a patient admitted with a suspected malabsorption disorder. The nurse knows that one of the accessory organs of the digestive system is the pancreas. What digestive enzymes does the pancreas secrete?
- A. Pepsin
- B. Lipase
- C. Amylase
- D. Trypsin
- E. Ptyalin
Correct Answer: B,C,D
Rationale: Digestive enzymes secreted by the pancreas include trypsin, which aids in digesting protein; amylase, which aids in digesting starch; and lipase, which aids in digesting fats. Pepsin is secreted by the stomach and ptyalin is secreted in the saliva.
The nurse is preparing to perform a patient's abdominal assessment. What examination sequence should the nurse follow?
- A. Inspection, auscultation, percussion, and palpation
- B. Inspection, palpation, auscultation, and percussion
- C. Inspection, percussion, palpation, and auscultation
- D. Inspection, palpation, percussion, and auscultation
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: When performing a focused assessment of the patient's abdomen, auscultation should always precede percussion and palpation because they may alter bowel sounds. The traditional sequence for all other focused assessments is inspection, palpation, percussion, and auscultation.