ATI LPN
Brunner & Suddarth's Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing 14e (Hinkle 2017)
Chapter 43 Questions
Question 1 of 5
Results of a patient's preliminary assessment prompted an examination of the patient's carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels, which have come back positive. What is the nurse's most appropriate response to this finding?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: CEA is a protein that is normally not detected in the blood of a healthy person; therefore, when detected it indicates that cancer is present, but not what type of cancer is present. The patient would likely be learning that he or she has cancer, so the nurse must prioritize the patient's immediate psychosocial needs, not abdominal assessment. Future screening is not a high priority in the short term.
Question 2 of 5
The nurse is caring for a patient with a duodenal ulcer and is relating the patient's symptoms to the physiologic functions of the small intestine. What do these functions include?
Correct Answer: C,D,E
Rationale: The small intestine folds back and forth on itself, providing approximately 7000 cm^2 (70 m^2) of surface area for secretion and absorption, the process by which nutrients enter the bloodstream through the intestinal walls. Water reabsorption primarily takes place in the large bowel. HCl is secreted by the stomach.
Question 3 of 5
A patient has been scheduled for a urea breath test in one month's time. What nursing diagnosis most likely prompted this diagnostic test?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Urea breath tests detect the presence of Helicobacter pylori, the bacteria that can live in the mucosal lining of the stomach and cause peptic ulcer disease. This test does not address fluid volume, nutritional status, or dentition.
Question 4 of 5
A nurse is caring for a patient who is scheduled for a colonoscopy and whose bowel preparation will include polyethylene glycol electrolyte lavage prior to the procedure. The presence of what health problem would contraindicate the use of this form of bowel preparation?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The use of a lavage solution is contraindicated in patients with intestinal obstruction or inflammatory bowel disease. It can safely be used with patients who have polyps, colon cancer, or diverticulitis.
Question 5 of 5
A patient is being assessed for a suspected deficit in intrinsic factor synthesis. What diagnostic or assessment finding is the most likely rationale for this examination of intrinsic factor production?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: In the absence of intrinsic factor, vitamin B12 cannot be absorbed, and pernicious anemia results. This would result in a marked reduction in hemoglobin and hematocrit.