A patient with cirrhosis of the liver and ascites is scheduled for a paracentesis. What should the nurse do to prepare the patient for the procedure?

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: The correct answer is A: Have the patient void immediately before the procedure. This step is crucial to prevent accidental puncture of the bladder during paracentesis. Voiding helps empty the bladder, reducing the risk of injury and ensuring a safer procedure. Incorrect choices: B: Position the patient flat in bed - Incorrect, as the patient should be in a sitting position with legs dangling over the side of the bed during the procedure. C: Administer a full liquid diet - Incorrect, as a full liquid diet is not necessary for paracentesis preparation. D: Encourage the patient to ambulate for 30 minutes - Incorrect, as ambulation is not relevant to preparing for paracentesis.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: The primary reason for administering morphine to a patient with MI is to reduce cardiac workload. Morphine acts as a vasodilator and decreases preload and afterload on the heart, reducing myocardial oxygen demand. This helps to improve coronary blood flow and decrease the workload on the heart muscle, which is crucial in the setting of an MI. Explanation for other choices: A: While morphine can help reduce pain in MI, the primary reason for administering it is to reduce cardiac workload. B: Morphine may have a calming effect, but the primary goal is to reduce cardiac workload. D: Morphine can actually decrease respiratory rate as a side effect, making this choice incorrect.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: The correct answer is B: Partial thromboplastin time (PTT). PTT is used to monitor the effectiveness of heparin therapy because heparin primarily affects the intrinsic pathway of the coagulation cascade, which is reflected in the PTT results. Monitoring PTT helps to ensure that the patient's blood is within the therapeutic range for anticoagulation. A: Prothrombin time (PT) is used to monitor warfarin therapy, which affects the extrinsic pathway of the coagulation cascade. C: Bleeding time is not typically used to monitor heparin therapy effectiveness. D: Platelet count is important to monitor for heparin-induced thrombocytopenia, but it does not directly reflect the effectiveness of heparin therapy in preventing or treating DVT.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: The correct answer is C, administering prescribed opioid analgesics. This intervention is appropriate for severe abdominal pain in acute pancreatitis as opioids are effective in managing pain. Encouraging oral intake (A) can worsen symptoms, a supine position (B) can exacerbate pain, and a heating pad (D) can aggravate inflammation. Administering opioid analgesics provides direct pain relief and is the most effective intervention for alleviating severe abdominal pain in acute pancreatitis.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: The correct answer is A. The rationale is that radioactive iodine therapy can harm a developing fetus, so patients should avoid close contact with pregnant women for one week. Choice B is incorrect as iodine supplements can interfere with the therapy. Choice C is incorrect as fluid intake should not be restricted unless specifically advised by the healthcare provider. Choice D is incorrect as there is no need to use disposable utensils for all meals.