When preparing the patient for suctioning, what is the FIRST step?

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: Before any procedure, it is crucial to ensure that you have the proper authorization and guidelines in place. By checking the physician's order and the patient care plan, you confirm that suctioning is indeed needed and that you follow the specific instructions for that patient. This step helps ensure patient safety and effective care delivery. Once you have verified this information, you can proceed with gathering equipment, performing hand hygiene, and assessing the patient's condition as necessary.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: Prolonged labor is a condition in which labor lasts for an extended period, typically more than 20 hours for first-time mothers and more than 14 hours for experienced mothers. Prolonged labor can contribute to slowing down uterine involution because the prolonged pressure and strain on the uterus can affect its ability to return to its pre-pregnancy size and position. The prolonged contractions and stretching of the uterine muscles can hinder the normal process of uterine involution, leading to a delay in the uterus shrinking back to its non-pregnant state. Additionally, prolonged labor can increase the risk of postpartum complications such as excessive bleeding and infection, which can further impact uterine involution. Therefore, it is crucial for healthcare providers to monitor labor progress closely to prevent prolonged labor and its potential effects on uterine involution.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: In the situation of an obstetric emergency requiring immediate delivery, the priority nursing action is to prepare the delivery room for the birth. This involves ensuring that all necessary supplies and equipment are readily available, the bed is adjusted to the appropriate position, and the healthcare team is prepared to assist with the birth. By expeditiously preparing the delivery room, the healthcare team can facilitate a safe and timely delivery for both the mother and the baby. Notifications to the healthcare provider, administering intravenous fluids, and continuous fetal monitoring can be done simultaneously but preparing the delivery room takes precedence to ensure a prompt response to the emergent situation.

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: Before any procedure, it is crucial to ensure that you have the proper authorization and guidelines in place. By checking the physician's order and the patient care plan, you confirm that suctioning is indeed needed and that you follow the specific instructions for that patient. This step helps ensure patient safety and effective care delivery. Once you have verified this information, you can proceed with gathering equipment, performing hand hygiene, and assessing the patient's condition as necessary.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: Cardiogenic shock is a life-threatening condition where the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body's demands. Monitoring the patient's cardiac index, which is a measure of cardiac output adjusted for body surface area, can help detect the risk of developing cardiogenic shock. A decrease in cardiac index would indicate a decrease in the heart's ability to effectively pump blood, putting the patient at risk for cardiogenic shock. Monitoring cardiac index is essential in assessing cardiac function and guiding interventions to prevent the progression to cardiogenic shock. The other factors listed may provide important information in assessing the patient's condition, but specifically in detecting the risk of developing cardiogenic shock, monitoring the cardiac index is crucial.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: In assigning rooms for the injured patients, the most appropriate and compassionate choice is to have mother and child together in one room. This decision prioritizes the well-being and emotional support for the child, as having the mother nearby can have a positive impact on the child's recovery. It also promotes family bonding during a difficult time, which can aid in the healing process. Additionally, the presence of a parent can provide comfort and reassurance to the child, contributing to a more positive hospital experience. Therefore, it is important for the nurses to coordinate with the Administration to ensure that mother and child are assigned to the same room whenever possible.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: The patient's lack of sensation in her right leg, allowing her cat to scratch her without her noticing, is indicative of neuropathy. Neuropathy is a common diabetic complication characterized by nerve damage that can result in loss of sensation or altered sensation in different parts of the body, including the extremities. In this case, neuropathy has likely affected the patient's right lower extremity, leading to her inability to feel the cat scratching her leg and resulting in the unnoticed scratches, infection, and subsequent cellulitis.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: In clients with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), death typically occurs within two to three years of diagnosis. This is often due to progressive weakness and degeneration of the muscles involved in breathing, leading to respiratory failure. As the disease advances, the muscles responsible for breathing become increasingly compromised, eventually resulting in the inability to breathe effectively without mechanical ventilation support. Other complications such as aspiration pneumonia and malnutrition may also contribute to the decline in health. Therefore, respiratory failure is the primary cause of death in clients with ALS.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: When discharging a suicidal patient who has been taking tricyclic antidepressant drugs, it is crucial for the nurse to evaluate the risk for suicide by overdose of the medication. Tricyclic antidepressants have a narrow therapeutic index, meaning that the difference between a therapeutic dose and a toxic dose can be quite small. This makes them particularly dangerous in cases of overdose, as they can lead to severe toxic effects, including cardiac arrhythmias, seizures, and death.