Nokea
The nurse is planning the care of a patient who is scheduled for a laryngectomy. The nurse should assign the highest priority to which postoperative nursing diagnosis?
- A. Anxiety related to diagnosis of cancer
- B. Altered nutrition related to swallowing difficulties
- C. Ineffective airway clearance related to airway alterations
- D. Impaired verbal communication related to removal of the larynx
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Each of the listed diagnoses is valid, but ineffective airway clearance is the priority nursing diagnosis for all conditions due to the critical need to maintain a patent airway post-laryngectomy.
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The campus nurse at a university is assessing a 21-year-old student who presents with a severe nosebleed. The site of bleeding appears to be the anterior portion of the nasal septum. The nurse instructs the student to tilt her head forward and the nurse applies pressure to the nose, but the students nose continues to bleed. Which intervention should the nurse next implement?
- A. Apply ice to the bridge of her nose
- B. Lay the patient down on a cot
- C. Arrange for transfer to the local ED
- D. Insert a tampon in the affected nare
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: A cotton tampon may be used to try to stop the bleeding. The use of ice on the bridge of the nose has no scientific rationale for care. Laying the client down on the cot could block the clients airway. Hospital admission is necessary only if the bleeding becomes serious.
The nurse is creating a plan of care for a patient diagnosed with acute laryngitis. What intervention should be included in the patients plan of care?
- A. Place warm cloths on the patients throat, as needed.
- B. Have the patient inhale warm steam three times daily.
- C. Encourage the patient to limit speech whenever possible.
- D. Limit the patients fluid intake to 1.5 L/day.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Management of acute laryngitis includes resting the voice, avoiding irritants (including smoking), resting, and inhaling cool steam or an aerosol. Fluid intake should be increased. Warm cloths on the throat will not help relieve the symptoms of acute laryngitis.
A patients total laryngectomy has created a need for alaryngeal speech which will be achieved through the use of tracheoesophageal puncture. What action should the nurse describe to the patient when teaching him about this process?
- A. Training on how to perform controlled belching
- B. Use of an electronically enhanced artificial pharynx
- C. Insertion of a specialized nasogastric tube
- D. Fitting for a voice prosthesis
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: In patients receiving transesophageal puncture, a valve is placed in the tracheal stoma to divert air into the esophagus and out the mouth. Once the puncture is surgically created and has healed, a voice prosthesis (Blom-Singer) is fitted over the puncture site. A nasogastric tube and belching are not required. An artificial pharynx is not used.
The nurse is doing discharge teaching in the ED with a patient who had a nosebleed. What should the nurse include in the discharge teaching of this patient?
- A. Avoid blowing the nose for the next 45 minutes.
- B. In case of recurrence, apply direct pressure for 15 minutes.
- C. Do not take aspirin for the next 2 weeks.
- D. Seek immediate medical attention if the nosebleed recurs.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The nurse explains how to apply direct pressure to the nose with the thumb and the index finger for 15 minutes in case of a recurrent nosebleed. If recurrent bleeding cannot be stopped, the patient is instructed to seek additional medical attention. ASA is not contraindicated in most cases and the patient should avoid blowing the nose for an extended period of time, not just 45 minutes.
A patient comes to the ED and is admitted with epistaxis. Pressure has been applied to the patients midline septum for 10 minutes, but the bleeding continues. The nurse should anticipate using what treatment to control the bleeding?
- A. Irrigation with a hypertonic solution
- B. Nasopharyngeal suction
- C. Normal saline application
- D. Silver nitrate application
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: If pressure to the midline septum does not stop the bleeding for epistaxis, additional treatment of silver nitrate application, Gelfoam, electrocautery, or vasoconstrictors may be used. Suction may be used to visualize the nasal septum, but it does not alleviate the bleeding. Irrigation with a hypertonic solution is not used to treat epistaxis.