Nursing Elites

1. The student nurse is preparing a teaching care plan to help improve nutrition in a patient with achalasia. You include which of the following:

• A. Swallow foods while leaning forward.
• B. Omit fluids at mealtimes.
• C. Eat meals sitting upright.
• D. Avoid soft and semisoft foods.

Correct answer: C

Rationale: Eating meals while sitting upright helps improve swallowing and prevent complications in patients with achalasia.

2. A 40-year-old male client has been hospitalized with peptic ulcer disease. He is being treated with a histamine receptor antagonist (cimetidine), antacids, and diet. The nurse doing discharge planning will teach him that the action of cimetidine is to:

• A. Reduce gastric acid output
• B. Protect the ulcer surface
• C. Inhibit the production of hydrochloric acid (HCl)
• D. Inhibit vagus nerve stimulation

Correct answer: C

Rationale: Cimetidine inhibits the production of hydrochloric acid (HCl), which helps to treat peptic ulcer disease.

3. The nurse is caring for a client admitted to the hospital with a suspected diagnosis of acute appendicitis. Which of the following laboratory results would the nurse expect to note if the client indeed has appendicitis?

• A. Leukopenia with a shift to the right
• B. Leukocytosis with a shift to the right
• C. Leukocytosis with a shift to the left
• D. Leukopenia with a shift to the left

Correct answer: C

Rationale: Laboratory findings do not establish the diagnosis of appendicitis, but often moderate elevation of the white blood cell count (leukocytosis) to 10,000 to 18,000 cells/mm3 occurs with a “shift to the left” (an increased number of immature white blood cells.).

4. Kevin has a history of peptic ulcer disease and vomits coffee-ground emesis. What does this indicate?

• A. He has fresh, active upper GI bleeding.
• B. He needs immediate saline gastric lavage.
• C. His gastric bleeding occurred 2 hours earlier.
• D. He needs a transfusion of packed RBCs.

Correct answer: C

Rationale: Coffee-ground emesis is a sign of upper gastrointestinal bleeding that occurred approximately 2 hours earlier. It results from the breakdown of blood in the stomach due to digestive enzymes, giving it a coffee-ground appearance. Choice A is incorrect because coffee-ground emesis indicates older, partially digested blood, not fresh active bleeding. Choice B is incorrect as gastric lavage is not indicated for coffee-ground emesis. Choice D is incorrect because a transfusion of packed RBCs is not the immediate management for this presentation.

5. A client is recovering from an ileostomy that was performed to treat inflammatory bowel disease. During discharge teaching for this client, the nurse should stress:

• A. increasing fluid intake to prevent dehydration.
• B. wearing an appliance pouch at all times.
• C. consuming a low-protein, high-fiber diet.
• D. avoiding enteric-coated medications.

Correct answer: A

Rationale: The correct answer is A: increasing fluid intake to prevent dehydration. An ileostomy typically drains liquid waste, so the client is at risk of fluid loss. By increasing fluid intake, the client can prevent dehydration. It's essential for the client to wear a collection appliance at all times because ileostomy drainage is incontinent. Consuming a low-protein, high-fiber diet is not recommended as high-fiber foods can cause intestinal irritation. Enteric-coated medications should be avoided because they may not be absorbed properly after an ileostomy.

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