Week 12 - cancer assessment

Question 1

What do we need to educate chemo cancer patients about?

Answer 1

-Nadir - report fever immediately
- avoid infections /crowds/sick people
- hand washing
- clean skin and oral cavity often
- avoid foods with more pathogens (meat, veggies, fruit)

Question 2

What specific infection are chemo cancer patients more suceptible to?

Answer 2

Yeast infections

Question 3

What type of cultures do we collect of febrile neutropenic chemo patients?

Answer 3

Pan cultures

Question 4

What are pan cultures?

Answer 4

1. blood cultures
2. urine cultures
3. would cultures
4. sputum cultures

Question 5

When in hospital what 3 things must we monitor/do for febrile neutropenic patients?

Answer 5

1. isolation
2. monitor fever
3. find source of infection (Pan cultures)

Question 6

what is the leading cause of death in chemotherapy patients?

Answer 6

Infection

Question 7

What are the 2 common signs of thrombocytopenia in chemo patients?

Answer 7

1. bleeding gums
2. nose bleeds (epistaxis)

Question 8

What does epistaxis mean?

Answer 8

nose bleeds

Question 9

What are 2 early signs of thrombocytopenia in chemo patients?

Answer 9

1. bleeding gums
2. nose bleeds (epistaxis)

Question 10

What are 4 later signs of thrombocytopenia in chemo patients?

Answer 10

1. bruising
2. hematuria
3. hemoptysis (coughing up blood)
4. GI bleeds (hematemisis/melena)

Question 11

What does hemoptysis mean?

Answer 11

coughing up blood

Question 12

What measurement is considered thrombocytopenia?

Answer 12

<150,000 mm3 platelet count

Question 13

Order from greatest to least impact, what is affected in chemo patients with their platelets, neutrophils and RBC

Answer 13

1. Neutrophils
2. platelets
3. RBC

Question 14

What meds are contraindicated in patients with thrombocytopenia ?

Answer 14

• Any that cause bleeding
  1. aspirin
  2. NSAIDS
  3. anticoagulants (allows more bleeding)

Question 15

What 3 things should patients avoid who have thrombocytopenia?

Answer 15

1. vigorous tooth brushing
2. careful shaving
3. no high risk activities

Question 16

When caring for someone in the hospital who has thrombocytopenia what do we not give them?

Answer 16

Their daily heparin

Question 17

What method of med delivery should nurses avoid in someone with thrombocytopenia?

Answer 17

subcut injections
IM injections

Question 18

What two things should nurses be careful when caring for a patient with thrombocytopenia?

Answer 18

1. blood pressure cuff - too tight = brusing
2. IV insertion

Question 19

If a chemo patient has anemia what will we see?

Answer 19

1. SOB
2. fatigue
3. Pallour
4. lower Hbg

Question 20

What 2 things do we assess in someone with stomatitis?

Answer 20

1. oral mucosa
2. weight & intake (due to their pain)