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The nurse is assessing the respiratory status of the client after a thoracentesis has been performed. The nurse would become concerned with which assessment finding?
- A. Equal bilateral chest expansion
- B. Respiratory rate of 22 breaths per minute
- C. Diminished breath sounds on the affected side
- D. Few scattered wheezes, unchanged from baseline
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: After thoracentesis, the nurse assesses vital signs and breath sounds. The nurse especially notes increased respiratory rates, dyspnea, retractions, diminished breath sounds, or cyanosis, which could indicate pneumothorax. Any of these manifestations should be reported to the primary health care provider. Options 1 and 2 are normal findings. Option 4 indicates a finding that is unchanged from the baseline.
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The nurse is caring for a client prescribed digoxin. Which manifestations correlate with a digoxin level of 2.3 ng/dL (2.93 nmol/L)? Select all that apply.
- A. Nausea
- B. Drowsiness
- C. Photophobia
- D. Increased appetite
- E. Increased energy level
- F. Seeing halos around bright objects
Correct Answer: A,B,C,F
Rationale: Digoxin is a cardiac glycoside used to manage and treat heart failure, control ventricular rate in clients with atrial fibrillation, and treat and prevent recurrent paroxysmal atrial tachycardia. The therapeutic range is 0.8 to 2.0 ng/mL (1.02 to 2.56 nmol/L). Signs of toxicity include gastrointestinal disturbances, including anorexia, nausea, and vomiting; neurological abnormalities such as fatigue, headache, depression, weakness, drowsiness, confusion, and nightmares; facial pain; personality changes; and ocular disturbances such as photophobia, halos around bright lights, and yellow or green color perception.
The nurse is caring for a client who is receiving blood transfusion therapy. Which clinical manifestations should alert the nurse to a hemolytic transfusion reaction? Select all that apply.
- A. Headache
- B. Tachycardia
- C. Hypertension
- D. Apprehension
- E. Distended neck veins
- F. A sense of impending doom
Correct Answer: A,B,D,F
Rationale: Hemolytic transfusion reactions are caused by blood type or Rh incompatibility. When blood containing antigens different from the client's own antigens is infused, antigen-antibody complexes are formed in the client's blood. These complexes destroy the transfused cells and start inflammatory responses in the client's blood vessel walls and organs. The reaction may include fever and chills or may be life-threatening with disseminated intravascular coagulation and circulatory collapse. Other manifestations include headache, tachycardia, apprehension, a sense of impending doom, chest pain, low back pain, tachypnea, hypotension, and hemoglobinuria. The onset may be immediate or may not occur until subsequent units have been transfused. Distended neck veins are characteristics of circulatory overload.
The nurse is assigned to care for an infant on the first postoperative day after a surgical repair of a cleft lip. Which nursing intervention is appropriate when caring for this child's surgical incision?
- A. Rinsing the incision with sterile water after feeding
- B. Cleaning the incision only when serous exudate forms
- C. Rubbing the incision gently with a sterile cotton-tipped swab
- D. Replacing the Logan bar carefully after cleaning the incision
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The incision should be rinsed with sterile water after every feeding. Rubbing alters the integrity of the suture line. Rather, the incision should be patted or dabbed. The purpose of the Logan bar is to maintain the integrity of the suture line. Removing the Logan bar on the first postoperative day would increase tension on the surgical incision.
The nurse creates a discharge plan for a client diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities. Which instructions should the nurse include in the plan? Select all that apply.
- A. Wear support or elastic stockings.
- B. Wear well-fitted shoes and walk barefoot when at home.
- C. Wear dark-colored stockings or socks and change them daily.
- D. Use a heating pad set at low setting on the feet if they feel cold.
- E. Apply lanolin or lubricating lotion to the legs and feet once or twice daily.
- F. Wash the feet and legs with mild soap and water and rinse and dry them well.
Correct Answer: A,E,F
Rationale: Peripheral neuropathy is any functional or organic disorder of the peripheral nervous system. Clinical manifestations can include muscle weakness, stabbing pain, paresthesia or loss of sensation, impaired reflexes, and autonomic manifestations. Home care instructions include wearing support or elastic stockings for dependent edema, applying lanolin or lubricating lotion to the legs and feet once or twice daily, washing the feet and legs with mild soap and water and rinsing and drying them well, inspecting the legs and feet daily and reporting any skin changes or open areas to the primary health care provider.
A client with a known history of panic disorder comes to the emergency department and states to the nurse, 'Please help me. I think I'm having a heart attack.' What is the priority nursing action?
- A. Assess the client's vital signs.
- B. Encourage the client to use relaxation techniques.
- C. Identify the manifestations related to the panic disorder.
- D. Determine what the client's activity involved when the pain started.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Clients with a panic disorder can experience acute physical symptoms, such as chest pain and palpitations. The priority is to assess the client's physical condition to rule out a physiological disorder for these signs and symptoms. Although options 2, 3, and 4 may be appropriate at some point in the care of the client, they are not the priority.