A patient has undergone treatment for septic shock and received high doses of numerous antibiotics during the course of treatment. When planning the patients subsequent care, the nurse should be aware of what potential effect on the patients immune function?
- A. Bone marrow suppression
- B. Uncontrolled apoptosis
- C. Thymus atrophy
- D. Lymphoma
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Large doses of antibiotics can precipitate bone marrow suppression, affecting immune function. Antibiotics are not noted to cause apoptosis, thymus atrophy, or lymphoma.
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The nurse is providing care for a patient who has multiple sclerosis. The nurse recognizes the autoimmune etiology of this disease and the potential benefits of what treatment?
- A. Stem cell transplantation
- B. Serial immunizations
- C. Immunosuppression
- D. Genetic engineering
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Clinical trials using stem cells are under way in patients with a variety of disorders having an autoimmune component, including multiple sclerosis. Immunizations and genetic engineering are not used to treat multiple sclerosis. Immunosuppression would exacerbate symptoms of MS.
During a mumps outbreak at a local school, a patient, who is a school teacher, is exposed. She has previously been immunized for mumps. What type of immunity does she possess?
- A. Acquired immunity
- B. Natural immunity
- C. Phagocytic immunity
- D. Humoral immunity
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Acquired immunity usually develops as a result of prior exposure to an antigen, often through immunization. When the body is attacked by bacteria, viruses, or other pathogens, it has three means of defense. The first line of defense, the phagocytic immune response, involves the WBCs that have the ability to ingest foreign particles. A second protective response is the humoral immune response, which begins when the B lymphocytes transform themselves into plasma cells that manufacture antibodies. The natural immune response system is rapid, nonspecific immunity present at birth.
A nurse is planning a patients care and is relating it to normal immune response. During what stage of the immune response should the nurse know that antibodies or cytotoxic T cells combine and destroy the invading microbes?
- A. Recognition stage
- B. Proliferation stage
- C. Response stage
- D. Effector stage
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: In the effector stage, either the antibody of the humoral response or the cytotoxic (killer) T cell of the cellular response reaches and couples with the antigen on the surface of the foreign invader. The coupling initiates a series of events that in most instances results in total destruction of the invading microbes or the complete neutralization of the toxin. This does not take place during the three preceding stages.
A gerontologic nurse is caring for an older adult patient who has a diagnosis of pneumonia. What age-related change increases older adults susceptibility to respiratory infections?
- A. Atrophy of the thymus
- B. Bronchial stenosis
- C. Impaired ciliary action
- D. Decreased diaphragmatic muscle tone
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: As a consequence of impaired ciliary action due to exposure to smoke and environmental toxins, older adults are vulnerable to lung infections. This vulnerability is not the result of thymus atrophy, stenosis of the bronchi, or loss of diaphragmatic muscle tone.
A patient is being treated for cancer and the nurse has identified the nursing diagnosis of Risk for Infection Due to Protein Losses. Protein losses inhibit immune response in which of the following ways?
- A. Causing apoptosis of cytokines
- B. Increasing interferon production
- C. Causing CD4+ cells to mutate
- D. Depressing antibody response
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Depletion of protein reserves results in atrophy of lymphoid tissues, depression of antibody response, reduction in the number of circulating T cells, and impaired phagocytic function. This specific nutritional deficit does not cause T-cell mutation, an increase in the production of interferons, or apoptosis of cytokines.
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