Chapter 43: GI Review Flashcards
Which information about an 80-year-old male patient at the senior center is of most concern to the nurse?
a. Decreased appetite
b. Occasional indigestion
c. Unintended weight loss
d. Difficulty chewing food
c. Unintended weight loss
An older patient reports chronic constipation. When would the nurse suggest that the patient regularly attempt defecation?
a. Right after awakening in the morning
b. Before eating breakfast
c. Immediately after the first daily meal
d. Right before bedtime
c. Immediately after the first daily meal
Which condition would the nurse anticipate when caring for a patient with a history of a total gastrectomy?
a. Constipation
b. Dehydration
c. Elevated total serum cholesterol
d. Cobalamin (vitamin B 12 ) deficiency
d. Cobalamin (vitamin B 12 ) deficiency
The nurse is caring for a patient with a biliary obstruction. Which condition would the nurse expect?
a. Melena
b. Steatorrhea
c. Decreased serum cholesterol level
d. Increased serum indirect bilirubin level
b. Steatorrhea
The nurse receives the following information about a patient who is scheduled for a colonoscopy. Which information would the nurse communicate to the health care provider before preparing the patient for the procedure?
a. The patient declined to drink the prescribed laxative solution.
b. The patient has had an allergic reaction to shellfish and iodine.
c. The patient has a permanent pacemaker to prevent bradycardia.
d. The patient is worried about discomfort during the examination.
a. The patient declined to drink the prescribed laxative solution.
Which statement by a patient with jaundice indicates a need for teaching?
a. “I used cough syrup several times a day last week.”
b. “I take a baby aspirin every day to prevent strokes.”
c. “I take an antacid for indigestion several times a week”
d. “I use acetaminophen (Tylenol) every 4 hours for pain.”
d. “I use acetaminophen (Tylenol) every 4 hours for pain.”
Which is the correct technique for the nurse to palpate the liver during a head-to-toe physical assessment?
a. Place one hand on top of the other and use the upper fingers to apply pressure and the bottom fingers to feel for the liver edge.
b. Place one hand on the patient‘s back and press upward and inward with the other hand below the patient‘s right costal margin.
c. Press slowly and firmly over the right costal margin with one hand and withdraw the fingers quickly after the liver edge is felt.
d. Place one hand under the patient‘s lower ribs and press the left lower rib cage forward, palpating below the costal margin with the other hand.
b. Place one hand on the patient‘s back and press upward and inward with the other hand below the patient‘s right costal margin.
Which finding by the nurse during abdominal auscultation indicates a need for a focused abdominal assessment?
a. Loud gurgles
b. High-pitched gurgles
c. Absent bowel sounds
d. Intermittent sounds
c. Absent bowel sounds
Which action would the nurse take after assisting with a needle biopsy of the liver at a patient‘s bedside?
a. Elevate the head of the bed to facilitate breathing.
b. Place the patient on the right side with the bed flat.
c. Check the patient‘s postbiopsy coagulation studies.
d. Position a sandbag over the liver to provide pressure.
b. Place the patient on the right side with the bed flat.
A patient is admitted to the outpatient testing area for an ultrasound of the gallbladder. Which information obtained by the nurse indicates that the ultrasound may need to be rescheduled?
a. The patient has a gastrostomy tube.
b. The patient ate a bagel 4 hours ago.
c. The patient took a laxative the day before.
d. The patient had a high-fat meal the previous evening.
b. The patient ate a bagel 4 hours ago.
The nurse is assessing an alert and independent older adult patient for malnutrition risk. Which is the most useful initial question?
a. “How do you get to the store to buy your food?”
b. “Can you tell me the food that you ate yesterday?”
c. “Do you have any difficulty in preparing or eating food?”
d. “Are you taking any medications that alter your taste for food?”
b. “Can you tell me the food that you ate yesterday?”
A patient has arrived in the recovery area after an upper endoscopy. Which information collected by the nurse is most important to communicate to the health care provider?
a. The patient is very drowsy.
b. The patient reports a sore throat.
c. The patient‘s temperature is 101.4F.
d. The patient‘s pulse rate is 100 beats/min.
c. The patient‘s temperature is 101.4F.
An adult with a body mass index (BMI) of 22 kg/m 2 is being admitted to the hospital for elective knee surgery. Which assessment finding would the nurse report to the health care provider?
a. Tympany on percussion of the abdomen
b. Liver edge 3 cm below the costal margin
c. Bowel sounds of 20/min in each quadrant
d. Aortic pulsations visible in the epigastric area
b. Liver edge 3 cm below the costal margin
A patient has just returned to the nursing unit after an esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD).
Which action by assistive personnel (AP) requires that the registered nurse (RN) intervene?
a. Offering the patient a pitcher of water
b. Positioning the patient on the right side
c. Checking the vital signs every 30 minutes
d. Swabbing the patient‘s mouth with a wet cloth
a. Offering the patient a pitcher of water
While interviewing a young adult patient, the nurse learns that the patient has a family history of familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). Which area of patient knowledge would the nurse plan to assess?
a. Preventing noninfectious hepatitis
b. Treating inflammatory bowel disease
c. Risk for developing colorectal cancer
d. Using antacids and proton pump inhibitors
c. Risk for developing colorectal cancer
