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The healthcare professional is preparing to measure the length, weight, chest, and head circumference of a 6-month-old infant. Which measurement technique is correct?
- A. Measuring the infant's length using a tape measure
- B. Weighing the infant on an electronic standing scale
- C. Measuring the chest circumference at the nipple line with a tape measure
- D. Measuring the head circumference by wrapping the tape measure around the head
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: For accurate measurements, specific techniques are required for different parameters in infants. Measuring the chest circumference involves encircling the chest at the nipple line. Length should be measured on a horizontal measuring board. Weight should be measured using a platform-type balance scale. Head circumference measurement entails ensuring the tape is aligned at the eyebrows and prominent frontal and occipital bones for the widest span. Therefore, the correct technique for measuring the chest circumference is at the nipple line with a tape measure. The other options are incorrect because length should be measured on a horizontal board, weight should be measured on a balance scale, and head circumference should be measured around the head, not over the nose and cheekbones.
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A 4-month-old child is at the clinic for a well-baby checkup and immunizations. Which of these actions is most appropriate when the nurse is assessing an infant's vital signs?
- A. The infant's radial pulse should be palpated, and the nurse should notice any
fluctuations resulting from activity or exercise. - B. The nurse should auscultate an apical rate for 1 minute and then assess for any
normal irregularities, such as sinus dysrhythmia. - C. The infant's blood pressure should be assessed by using a stethoscope with a large
diaphragm piece to hear the soft muffled Korotkoff sounds. - D. The infant's chest should be observed and the respiratory rate counted for 1
minute; the respiratory pattern may vary significantly.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The nurse auscultates an apical rate, not a radial pulse, with infants and toddlers. The pulse should be counted by listening to the heart for 1 full minute to account for normal irregularities, such as sinus dysrhythmia. Children younger than 3 years of age have such small arm vessels; consequently, hearing Korotkoff sounds with a stethoscope is difficult. The nurse should use either an electronic lood pressure device that uses oscillometry or a Doppler ultrasound device to amplify the sounds.
An infant's respiratory rate should be assessed by observing the infant's abdomen, not chest, because an infant's respirations are normally more diaphragmatic than thoracic. The nurse should auscultate an apical heart rate, not palpate a radial pulse, with infants and toddlers.
A child is admitted to the hospital several days after stepping on a sharp object that punctured her athletic shoe and entered the flesh of her foot. The physician is concerned about osteomyelitis and has ordered parenteral antibiotics. Which of the following actions is done immediately before the antibiotic is started?
- A. The admission orders are written.
- B. A blood culture is drawn.
- C. A complete blood count with differential is drawn.
- D. The parents arrive.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Before starting antibiotics, a blood culture should be drawn to identify the causative organism. This step is crucial as antibiotics may interfere with the identification process. Drawing a complete blood count with differential or writing admission orders are important steps in patient care but are not as critical as obtaining a blood culture to guide appropriate antibiotic therapy. The arrival of the parents is not directly related to the immediate action required before starting antibiotics in this scenario.
A 1-month-old infant has a head measurement of 34 cm and a chest circumference of 32 cm. Based on the interpretation of these findings, what action would the nurse take?
- A. Refer the infant to a physician for further evaluation.
- B. Consider these findings normal for a 1-month-old infant.
- C. Expect the chest circumference to be greater than the head circumference.
- D. Ask the parent to return in 2 weeks to re-evaluate the head and chest circumferences.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: In infants, a normal head measurement is approximately 32 to 38 cm, and it is usually around 2 cm larger than the chest circumference. These measurements vary with age; between 6 months and 2 years, both measurements are approximately the same, and after age 2 years, the chest circumference becomes greater than the head circumference. Given that the 1-month-old infant's head measurement is within the typical range and slightly larger than the chest circumference, the nurse should consider these findings normal. There is no indication to refer the infant for further evaluation or to have the parent return for re-evaluation in 2 weeks, as these measurements fall within the expected parameters for a 1-month-old infant.
When assessing the pulse of a 6-year-old patient, the nurse notices that the heart rate varies with the respiratory cycle, speeding up at the peak of inspiration and slowing to normal with expiration. What action would the nurse take next?
- A. Notify the physician.
- B. Record this finding as normal.
- C. Check the child's blood pressure and note any variation with respiration.
- D. Document that this child has bradycardia and continue with the assessment.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The correct action for the nurse to take next is to record this finding as normal. Sinus dysrhythmia, characterized by heart rate variation with the respiratory cycle, is commonly found in children and young adults. The heart rate speeds up at the peak of inspiration and slows to normal with expiration. This phenomenon is a normal variant and does not require any intervention. There is no need to notify the physician as this finding is within the expected range for this age group. Checking the child's blood pressure for variations with respiration or documenting the child as having bradycardia would not be appropriate in this case, as sinus dysrhythmia is a normal physiological response.
The healthcare provider is examining a patient who is reporting "feeling cold."? Which is a mechanism of heat loss in the body?
- A. Exercise
- B. Radiation
- C. Metabolism
- D. Food digestion
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: When the body needs to lose heat, one of the mechanisms it employs is radiation. Radiation involves the transfer of heat from the body to the environment in the form of infrared waves. While metabolism, exercise, and food digestion contribute to heat production, they are not mechanisms for heat loss. Metabolism generates heat as a byproduct, exercise increases metabolic rate leading to heat production, and food digestion involves some heat generation, but these processes do not directly facilitate heat loss. Therefore, in the scenario where the patient is feeling cold, radiation is the primary mechanism for the body to lose excess heat and maintain a stable internal temperature.