Brightwood College

1. The nurse is caring for a patient with a massive burn injury and possible hypovolemia. Which assessment data will be of most concern to the nurse? a. Urine output is 30 mL/hr. b. Blood pressure is 90/40 mm Hg. c. Oral fluid intake is 100 mL for the past 8 hours. d. There is prolonged skin tenting over the sternum. ANS: B The blood pressure indicates that the patient may be developing hypovolemic shock as a result of intravascular fluid loss because of the burn injury. This finding wil...

MULTIPLE CHOICE 1. The nurse assesses a patient’s surgical wound on the first postoperative day and notes redness and warmth around the incision. Which action by the nurse is appropriate? a. Obtain wound cultures. c. Notify the health care provider. b. Document the assessment. d. Assess the wound every 2 hours. ANS: B The incisional redness and warmth are indicators of the normal initial (inflammatory) stage of wound healing by primary intention. The nurse should document the wound appe...

TIPLE CHOICE 1. Which diagnostic test will provide the nurse with the most specific information to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions for a patient with ventilatory failure? a. Chest x-ray b. O2 saturation c. Arterial blood gas analysis d. Central venous pressure monitoring ANS: C Arterial blood gas (ABG) analysis is most useful in this setting because ventilatory failure causes problems with CO2 retention, and ABGs provide information about the PaCO2 and pH. The other tests m...

MULTIPLE CHOICE 1. A 53-yr-old male patient with deep partial-thickness burns from a chemical spill in the workplace experiences severe pain followed by nausea during dressing changes. Which action will be most useful in decreasing the patient’s nausea? a. Keep the patient NPO for 2 hours before dressing changes. b. Give the ordered prochlorperazine before dressing changes. c. Administer the prescribed morphine sulfate before dressing changes. d. Avoid performing dressing changes close ...

. The nurse assessing a patient with newly diagnosed trigeminal neuralgia will ask the patient about a. visual problems caused by ptosis. b. triggers leading to facial discomfort. c. poor appetite caused by loss of taste. d. weakness on the affected side of the face. ANS: B The major clinical manifestation of trigeminal neuralgia is severe facial pain triggered by cutaneous stimulation of the nerve. Ptosis, loss of taste, and facial weakness are not characteristics of trigeminal neuralg...

The nurse teaches a patient about discharge instructions after a rhinoplasty. Which statement, if made by the patient, indicates that the teaching was successful? a. “My nose will look normal after 24 to 48 hours.” b. “I can take 800 mg ibuprofen every 6 hours for pain.” c. “I will remove and reapply the nasal packing every day.” d. “I will elevate my head for 48 hours to minimize swelling.” ANS: D Maintaining the head in an elevated position will decrease the amount of na...

After assessment of a patient with pneumonia, the nurse identifies a nursing diagnosis of ineffective airway clearance. Which assessment data best supports this diagnosis? a. Weak cough effort b. Profuse green sputum c. Respiratory rate of 28 breaths/minute d. Resting pulse oximetry (SpO2) of 85% ANS: A The weak, nonproductive cough indicates that the patient is unable to clear the airway effectively. The other data would be used to support diagnoses such as impaired gas exchange and in...

MULTIPLE CHOICE 1. A 34-yr-old patient who is discussing contraceptive options with the nurse says, “I want to have children but not for a few years.” Which response by the nurse is accurate? a. “If you do not become pregnant within the next few years, you never will.” b. “Women often have more difficulty becoming pregnant after about age 35.” c. “Stop taking oral contraceptives several years before you want to have a child.” d. “You have many more years of fertility left...

1. When admitting an acutely confused patient with a head injury, which action should the nurse take? a. Ask family members about the patient’s health history. b. Ask leading questions to assist in obtaining health data. c. Wait until the patient is better oriented to ask questions. d. Obtain only the physiologic neurologic assessment data. ANS: A When admitting a patient who is likely to be a poor historian, the nurse should obtain health history information from others who have knowl...

LTIPLE CHOICE 1. A 62-year old man with chronic anemia is experiencing increased fatigue and occasional palpitations at rest. The nurse would expect the patient’s laboratory test findings to include a. an RBC count of 4,500,000/L. b. a hematocrit (Hct) value of 38%. c. normal red blood cell (RBC) indices. d. a hemoglobin (Hgb) of 8.6 g/dL (86 g/L). ANS: D The patient’s clinical manifestations indicate moderate anemia, which is consistent with a Hgb of 6 to 10 g/dL. The other valu...