Abdomen Flashcards
- The nurse is percussing the seventh right intercostal space at the midclavicular line over the liver. Which sound should the nurse expect to hear?
a. Dullness
b. Tympany
c. Resonance
d. Hyperresonance
ANS: A
The liver is located in the right upper quadrant and would elicit a dull percussion note.
- Which structure is located in the left lower quadrant of the abdomen?
a. Liver
b. Duodenum
c. Gallbladder
dSigmoid colon
ANS: D
The sigmoid colon is located in the left lower quadrant of the abdomen.
- A patient is having difficulty swallowing medications and food. The nurse would document that this patient has:
a. Aphasia.
b. Dysphasia.
c. Dysphagia.
d. Anorexia.
ANS: C
Dysphagia is a condition that occurs with disorders of the throat or esophagus and results in difficulty swallowing. Aphasia and dysphasia are speech disorders. Anorexia is a loss of appetite.
- The nurse suspects that a patient has a distended bladder. How should the nurse assess for this condition?
a. Percuss and palpate in the lumbar region.
b. Inspect and palpate in the epigastric region.
c. Auscultate and percuss in the inguinal region.
d. Percuss and palpate the midline area above the suprapubic bone.
ANS: D
Dull percussion sounds would be elicited over a distended bladder, and the hypogastric area would seem firm to palpation.
- The nurse is aware that one change that may occur in the gastrointestinal system of an aging adult is:
a. Increased salivation.
b. Increased liver size.
c. Increased esophageal emptying.
d. Decreased gastric acid secretion.
ANS: D
Gastric acid secretion decreases with aging. As one ages, salivation decreases, esophageal emptying is delayed, and liver size decreases.
- The nurse notices that a woman in an exercise class is unable to jump rope. The nurse is aware that to jump rope, one’s shoulder has to be capable of:
a. Inversion.
b. Supination.
c. Protraction.
d. Circumduction.
ANS: D
Circumduction is defined as moving the arm in a circle around the shoulder. The other options are not correct.
- The articulation of the mandible and the temporal bone is known as the:
a. Intervertebral foramen.
b. Condyle of the mandible.
c. Temporomandibular joint.
d. Zygomatic arch of the temporal bone.
ANS: C
The articulation of the mandible and the temporal bone is the temporomandibular joint. The other responses are not correct.
- To palpate the temporomandibular joint, the nurse’s fingers should be placed in the depression __________ of the ear.
a. Distal to the helix
b. Proximal to the helix
c. Anterior to the tragus
d. Posterior to the tragus
ANS: C
The temporomandibular joint can be felt in the depression anterior to the tragus of the ear. The other locations are not correct.
- Of the 33 vertebrae in the spinal column, there are:
a. 5 lumbar.
b. 5 thoracic.
c. 7 sacral.
d. 12 cervical.
ANS: A
There are 7 cervical, 12 thoracic, 5 lumbar, 5 sacral, and 3 to 4 coccygeal vertebrae in the spinal column.
- An imaginary line connecting the highest point on each iliac crest would cross the __________ vertebra.
a. First sacral
b. Fourth lumbar
c. Seventh cervical
d. Twelfth thoracic
ANS: B
An imaginary line connecting the highest point on each iliac crest crosses the fourth lumbar vertebra. The other options are not correct.
- The nurse is explaining to a patient that there are shock absorbers in his back to cushion the spine and to help it move. The nurse is referring to his:
a. Vertebral column.
b. Nucleus pulposus.
c. Vertebral foramen.
d. Intervertebral disks.
ANS: D
Intervertebral disks are elastic fibrocartilaginous plates that cushion the spine similar to shock absorbers and help it move. The vertebral column is the spinal column itself. The nucleus pulposus is located in the center of each disk. The vertebral foramen is the channel, or opening, for the spinal cord in the vertebrae.
- The nurse is providing patient education for a man who has been diagnosed with a rotator cuff injury. The nurse knows that a rotator cuff injury involves the:
a. Nucleus pulposus.
b. Articular processes.
c. Medial epicondyle.
d. Glenohumeral joint.
ANS: D
A rotator cuff injury involves the glenohumeral joint, which is enclosed by a group of four powerful muscles and tendons that support and stabilize it. The nucleus pulposus is located in the center of each intervertebral disk. The articular processes are projections in each vertebral disk that lock onto the next vertebra, thereby stabilizing the spinal column. The medial epicondyle is located at the elbow.
- During an interview the patient states, “I can feel this bump on the top of both of my shoulders—it doesn’t hurt but I am curious about what it might be.” The nurse should tell the patient that it is his:
a. Subacromial bursa.
b. Acromion process.
c. Glenohumeral joint.
d. Greater tubercle of the humerus.
ANS: B
The bump of the scapula’s acromion process is felt at the very top of the shoulder. The other options are not correct.
- The nurse is checking the range of motion in a patient’s knee and knows that the knee is capable of which movement(s)?
a. Flexion and extension
b. Supination and pronation
c. Circumduction
d. Inversion and eversion
ANS: A
The knee is a hinge joint, permitting flexion and extension of the lower leg on a single plane. The knee is not capable of the other movements listed.
- A patient is visiting the clinic for an evaluation of a swollen, painful knuckle. The nurse notices that the knuckle above his ring on the left hand is swollen and that he is unable to remove his wedding ring. This joint is called the _________ joint.
a. Interphalangeal
b. Tarsometatarsal
c. Metacarpophalangeal
d. Tibiotalar
ANS: C
The joint located just above the ring on the finger is the metacarpophalangeal joint. The interphalangeal joint is located distal to the metacarpophalangeal joint. The tarsometatarsal and tibiotalar joints are found in the foot and ankle. (See Figure 22-10 for a diagram of the bones and joints of the hand and fingers.)
- The nurse is assessing a patient’s ischial tuberosity. To palpate the ischial tuberosity, the nurse knows that it is best to have the patient:
a. Standing.
b. Flexing the hip.
c. Flexing the knee.
d. Lying in the supine position.
ANS: B
The ischial tuberosity lies under the gluteus maximus muscle and is palpable when the hip is flexed. The other options are not correct.
- The nurse is examining the hip area of a patient and palpates a flat depression on the upper, lateral side of the thigh when the patient is standing. The nurse interprets this finding as the:
a. Ischial tuberosity.
b. Greater trochanter.
c. Iliac crest.
d. Gluteus maximus muscle.
ANS: B
The greater trochanter of the femur is palpated when the person is standing, and it appears as a flat depression on the upper lateral side of the thigh. The iliac crest is the upper part of the hip bone; the ischial tuberosity lies under the gluteus maximus muscle and is palpable when the hip is flexed; and the gluteus muscle is part of the buttocks.
- The ankle joint is the articulation of the tibia, fibula, and:
a. Talus.
b. Cuboid.
c. Calcaneus.
d. Cuneiform bones.
ANS: A
The ankle or tibiotalar joint is the articulation of the tibia, fibula, and talus. The other bones listed are foot bones and not part of the ankle joint.
- The nurse is explaining the mechanism of the growth of long bones to a mother of a toddler. Where does lengthening of the bones occur?
a. Bursa
b. Calcaneus
c. Epiphyses
d. Tuberosities
ANS: C
Lengthening occurs at the epiphyses, or growth plates. The other options are not correct.
- A woman who is 8 months pregnant comments that she has noticed a change in her posture and is having lower back pain. The nurse tells her that during pregnancy, women have a posture shift to compensate for the enlarging fetus. This shift in posture is known as:
a. Lordosis.
b. Scoliosis.
c. Ankylosis.
d. Kyphosis.
ANS: A
Lordosis compensates for the enlarging fetus, which would shift the center of balance forward. This shift in balance, in turn, creates a strain on the low back muscles, felt as low back pain during late pregnancy by some women. Scoliosis is lateral curvature of portions of the spine; ankylosis is extreme flexion of the wrist, as observed with severe rheumatoid arthritis; and kyphosis is an enhanced thoracic curvature of the spine.