MED SURG (GI) FINAL EXAM
GASTROINTESTINAL LATEST 2025
QUESTIONS AND DETAILED CORRECT
ANSWERS (VERIFIED ANSWERS) |
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An inpatient has returned to the medical unit after a
barium enema. When assessing the patient's subsequent
bowel patterns and stools, what finding should the nurse
report to the physician?
A) Large, wide stools
B) Milky white stools
C) Three stools during an 8-hour period of time
D) Streaks of blood present in the stool Correct Answer D
Feedback:
Barium has a high osmolarity and may draw fluid into
the bowel, thus increasing the intraluminal contents
and resulting in greater output (large stools). The
barium will give the stools a milky white appearance,
and it is not uncommon for the patient to experience
an increase in the number of bowel movements. Blood
in fecal matter is not an expected finding and the
nurse should notify the physician.
A nurse in a stroke rehabilitation facility recognizes that
the brain regulates swallowing. Damage to what area of
the brain will most affect the patient's ability to swallow?
A) Temporal lobe
,B) Medulla oblongata
C) Cerebellum
D) Pons Correct Answer Ans: B
Feedback:
Swallowing is a voluntary act that is regulated by a
swallowing center in the medulla oblongata of the
central nervous system. Swallowing is not regulated
by the temporal lobe, cerebellum, or pons.
A patient is being assessed for a suspected deficit in
intrinsic factor synthesis. What diagnostic or assessment
finding is the most likely rationale for this examination of
intrinsic factor production?
A) Muscle wasting
B) Chronic jaundice in the absence of liver disease
C) The presence of fat in the patient's stool
D) Persistently low hemoglobin and hematocrit Correct
Answer Ans: D
Feedback:
In the absence of intrinsic factor, vitamin B12 cannot
be absorbed, and pernicious anemia results. This
would result in a marked reduction in hemoglobin and
hematocrit.
A patient with a recent history of intermittent bleeding is
undergoing capsule endoscopy to determine the source of
the bleeding. When explaining this diagnostic test to the
patient, what advantage should the nurse describe?
A) The test allows visualization of the entire peritoneal
cavity.
B) The test allows for painless biopsy collection.
,C) The test does not require fasting.
D) The test is noninvasive. Correct Answer Ans: D
Feedback:
Capsule endoscopy allows the noninvasive
visualization of the mucosa throughout the entire
small intestine. Bowel preparation is necessary and
biopsies cannot be collected. This procedure allows
visualization of the entire GI tract, but not the
peritoneal cavity.
A nurse is caring for a patient admitted with a suspected
malabsorption disorder. The nurse knows that one of the
accessory organs of the digestive system is the pancreas.
What digestive enzymes does the pancreas secrete?
Select all that apply.
A) Pepsin
B) Lipase
C) Amylase
D) Trypsin
E) Ptyalin Correct Answer Ans: B, C, D
Feedback:
Digestive enzymes secreted by the pancreas include
trypsin, which aids in digesting protein; amylase,
which aids in digesting starch; and lipase, which aids
in digesting fats. Pepsin is secreted by the stomach
and ptyalin is secreted in the saliva.
The nurse is caring for a patient with a duodenal ulcer and
is relating the patient's symptoms to the physiologic
functions of the small intestine. What do these functions
include? Select all that apply.
, A) Secretion of hydrochloric acid (HCl)
B) Reabsorption of water
C) Secretion of mucus
D) Absorption of nutrients
E) Movement of nutrients into the bloodstream Correct
Answer Ans: C, D, E
Feedback: 2 The small intestine folds back and forth
on itself, providing approximately 7000 cm (70 m2) of
surface area for secretion and absorption, the process
by which nutrients enter the bloodstream through the
intestinal walls. Water reabsorption primarily takes
place in the large bowel. HCl is secreted by the
stomach.
A nurse is performing an abdominal assessment of an
older adult patient. When collecting and analyzing data,
the nurse should be cognizant of what age-related change
in gastrointestinal structure and function?
A) Increased gastric motility
B) Decreased gastric pH
C) Increased gag reflex
D) Decreased mucus secretion Correct Answer Ans: D
Feedback:
Older adults tend to secrete less mucus than younger
adults. Gastric motility slows with age and gastric pH
rises due to decreased secretion of gastric acids.
Older adults tend to have a blunted gag reflex
compared to younger adults.
The nurse educator is reviewing the blood supply of the GI
tract with a group of medical nurses. The nurse is
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