ATI LPN
Gastrointestinal System NCLEX Questions Questions
Question 1 of 5
A patient with a history of PUD is admitted for severe epigastric pain and vomiting. The nurse assesses that the patient has a distended abdomen and hypoactive bowel sounds. What is the priority action?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Distension and hypoactive bowel sounds suggest gastric outlet obstruction, requiring nasogastric decompression.
Question 2 of 5
A patient with a history of PUD is experiencing pain relief after starting treatment with a PPI. The patient asks if they can stop the medication now. The nurse should respond:
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Stopping PPIs prematurely can lead to incomplete healing and recurrence.
Question 3 of 5
Which symptom is most indicative of peptic ulcer disease?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Upper abdominal pain that improves with eating is classic for duodenal ulcers, a common type of PUD, as food neutralizes acid temporarily. Sharp pain in the lower right abdomen suggests appendicitis. Vomiting and diarrhea are nonspecific and more acute. Cough and swallowing difficulty point to esophageal or respiratory issues.
Question 4 of 5
The end products of digestion enter the cells of a vertebrate by the process of
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Absorption is the process by which digested nutrients (end products) are taken up by cells lining the digestive tract and enter the bloodstream or lymph for distribution to body cells. Osmosis is water movement, not nutrient uptake. Emulsification is fat breakdown, not cellular entry. Egestion is waste expulsion, not nutrient absorption.
Question 5 of 5
Three days after an organism eats some meat, many of the organic molecules originally contained in the meat would be found in newly formed molecules of
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Meat's proteins are digested into amino acids, which are absorbed and used to synthesize new proteins in the organism's cells within days. Glucose and starch are carbohydrate-based. Oxygen is inorganic.