The client is three (3) hours post-heart transplantation. Which data would support a complication of this procedure?
- A. The client has nausea after taking the oral antirejection medication.
- B. The client has difficulty coming off the heart-lung bypass machine.
- C. The client has saturated three (3) ABD dressing pads in one (1) hour.
- D. The client complains of pain at a '6' on a 1-to-10 scale.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Excessive bleeding (saturated dressings) indicates a surgical complication, requiring urgent intervention. Nausea, bypass difficulty, or moderate pain are less immediate.
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The HCP has notified the family of a client in a persistent vegetative state on a ventilator of the need to 'pull the plug.' The client does not have an AD or a durable power of attorney for health care, and the family does not want their loved one removed from the ventilator. Which action should the nurse implement?
- A. Refer the case to the hospital ethics committee.
- B. Tell the family they must do what the HCP orders.
- C. Follow the HCP's order and 'pull the plug.'
- D. Determine why the client did not complete an AD.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Without an AD or proxy, disagreements between family and HCP require ethics committee review for resolution. Forcing compliance, following orders against family wishes, or investigating AD absence is inappropriate.
Which element is not necessary to prove nursing malpractice?
- A. Breach of duty.
- B. Identify the ethical issues.
- C. Injury to the client.
- D. Proximate cause.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Malpractice requires duty, breach, injury, and causation. Identifying ethical issues is not a legal element, though relevant to ethics.
The nurse is discussing placing the client diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in hospice care. Which prognosis must be determined to place the client in hospice care?
- A. The client is doing well but could benefit from the added care by hospice.
- B. The client has a life expectancy of six (6) months or less.
- C. The client will live for about one (1) to two (2) more years.
- D. The client has about eight (8) weeks to live and needs pain control.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Hospice eligibility requires a prognosis of six months or less, per Medicare guidelines. Other options do not meet this criterion.
The intensive care nurse is caring for a deceased client who is an organ donor, and the organ donation team is en route to the hospital. Which statement would be an appropriate goal of treatment for the client?
- A. The urinary output is 20 mL/hr via a Foley catheter.
- B. The systolic blood pressure is greater than 90 mm Hg.
- C. The pulse oximeter reading remains between 88% and 90%.
- D. The telemetry shows the client in sinus tachycardia.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Maintaining systolic BP >90 mm Hg ensures organ perfusion, a key goal for donation. Urine output, oximetry, or tachycardia are less critical post-death.
The nurse is caring for clients on a medical floor. Which client should the nurse assess first after the shift report?
- A. The client with arterial blood gases of pH 7.36, Paco2 40, HCO3 26, Pao2 90.
- B. The client with vital signs of T 99°F, P 101, R 28, and BP 120/80.
- C. The client complaining of pain at a '10' on a 1-to-10 scale who can't localize it.
- D. The client who is postappendectomy with pain at a '3' on a 1-to-10 scale.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Severe pain (10/10), especially nonlocalizable, may indicate a serious condition (e.g., ischemia), requiring immediate assessment. Normal ABGs, mild vital sign changes, or mild post-op pain are less urgent.