Nokea
The nurse performs an assessment on a client with cancer and notes that the client is receiving pain medication via this type of catheter. (Refer to the figure.) What should the nurse document that the client has?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: An epidural catheter is placed in the epidural space. The epidural space lies between the dura mater and the vertebral column. When an opioid is injected into the epidural space, it binds to opiate receptors located on the dorsal horn of the spinal cord and blocks the transmission of pain impulses to the cerebral cortex of the brain. Because the opioid does not cross the blood-brain barrier, pain relief results from drug levels in the spinal cord rather than in the plasma, with little central or systemic distribution of the medication. A Hickman catheter is a vascular access device that is surgically inserted, tunneled through the subcutaneous tissue, and is used to manage long-term intravenous therapy. A CVC is inserted into a large vein (typically the internal or external jugular or the superior vena cava) that leads to the right atrium of the heart. A PCA pump is the device that allows the client to self-administer pain medication.