Nursing Elites

1. A client who had coronary artery bypass grafting yesterday needs care. What actions can the nurse delegate to the unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP)? (SATA)

• A. administer antibiotics every 4 hrs
• B. Encourage the client to use the spirometer every 4 hours.
• C. Ensure the client wears TED hose or sequential compression devices.
• D. Have the client rate pain on a 0-to-10 scale and report to the nurse.

Correct answer: C

Rationale: The nurse can delegate tasks such as assisting the client to get up in the chair or ambulate to the bathroom, applying TED hose or sequential compression devices, and taking/recording vital signs to the unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP). Using the spirometer should be encouraged every hour the day after surgery by the nurse. Assessing pain using a 0-to-10 scale is a nursing assessment. However, if the client reports pain, the UAP should inform the nurse for a more detailed assessment.

2. A client is on intravenous heparin to treat a pulmonary embolism. The client's most recent partial thromboplastin time (PTT) was 25 seconds. What action should the nurse anticipate?

• A. Decrease the heparin rate.
• B. Increase the heparin rate.
• C. No change to the heparin rate.
• D. Stop the heparin; start warfarin (Coumadin).

Correct answer: B

Rationale: For clients on heparin therapy, a PTT value of 1.5 to 2.5 times the normal range is required to ensure therapeutic anticoagulation. The normal PTT range is 25 to 35 seconds. In this case, the client's PTT of 25 seconds falls below the therapeutic range, indicating that the heparin dose is insufficient. Therefore, the nurse should anticipate increasing the heparin rate to achieve the desired therapeutic effect.

3. A client who received benzocaine spray before a recent bronchoscopy presents with continuous cyanosis despite oxygen therapy. What action should the nurse take next?

• A. Administer albuterol treatment.
• B. Notify Rapid Response Team.
• C. Assess the client's peripheral pulses.
• D. Obtain blood and sputum cultures.

Correct answer: B

Rationale: Cyanosis unresponsive to oxygen therapy suggests methemoglobinemia, an adverse effect of benzocaine spray. Methemoglobinemia can lead to death if not managed promptly. The nurse should notify the Rapid Response Team to provide immediate advanced care. Administering albuterol would not address the underlying cause of cyanosis. Assessing peripheral pulses and obtaining cultures are not the priority as they do not directly address the urgent need to manage methemoglobinemia.

4. While caring for a client who was injured in a motor-vehicle crash and reports dyspnea and severe pain, a nurse in the emergency department notes that the client's chest moves inward during inspiration and bulges out during expiration. The nurse should identify this finding as which of the following?

• A. Atelectasis
• B. Flail chest
• C. Hemothorax
• D. Pneumothorax

Correct answer: B

Rationale: Flail chest is characterized by paradoxical chest movement, where the chest moves inward during inspiration and bulges out during expiration. This occurs due to multiple rib fractures causing a segment of the chest wall to move independently from the rest of the thorax. Atelectasis refers to collapsed lung tissue, hemothorax is blood in the pleural space, and pneumothorax is air in the pleural space. In this scenario, the client's presentation aligns with the characteristic findings of flail chest.

5. A client is postoperative, and a nurse is developing a plan of care. Which of the following interventions should the nurse include in the plan to prevent pulmonary complications?

• A. Perform range-of-motion exercises
• B. Place suction equipment at the bedside
• C. Encourage the use of an incentive spirometer
• D. Administer an expectorant

Correct answer: C

Rationale: Encouraging the use of an incentive spirometer is vital in preventing pulmonary complications postoperatively. The incentive spirometer helps the client perform deep breathing exercises, promoting lung expansion, and preventing atelectasis. Range-of-motion exercises help prevent musculoskeletal complications, while placing suction equipment at the bedside is important but not directly related to preventing pulmonary complications. Administering an expectorant may help with clearing secretions but is not as effective in preventing postoperative pulmonary complications as using an incentive spirometer.

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