2025 EVOLVE ELSEVIER HESI MED SURG ACTUAL EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS UPDATED

2025 EVOLVE ELSEVIER HESI MED SURG ACTUAL EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS UPDATED A 20-year-old female client calls the nurse to report a lump she found in her breast. Which response is the best for the nurse to provide? A) Check it again in one month, and if it is still there schedule an appointment. B) Most lumps are benign, but it is always best to come in for an examination. C) Try not to worry too much about it, because usually, most lumps are benign. D) If you are in your menstrual period it is not a good time to check for lumps. B) Most lumps are benign, but it is always best to come in for an examination. (B) provides the best response because it addresses the client's anxiety most effectively and encourages prompt and immediate action for a potential problem. (A) postpones treatment if the lump is malignant, and does not relieve the client's anxiety. (C and D) provide false reassurance and do not help relieve anxiety. The nurse is preparing a teaching plan for a client who is newly diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes mellitus. Which signs and symptoms should the nurse describe when teaching the client about hypoglycemia? A) Sweating, trembling, tachycardia. B) Polyuria, polydipsia, polyphagia. C) Nausea, vomiting, anorexia. D) Fruity breath, tachypnea, chest pain. A) Sweating, trembling, tachycardia. Sweating, dizziness, and trembling are signs of hypoglycemic reactions related to the release of epinephrine as a compensatory response to the low blood sugar (A). (B, C, and D) do not describe common symptoms of hypoglycemia. The nurse is assessing a client's laboratory values following administration of chemotherapy. Which lab value leads the nurse to suspect that the client is experiencing tumor lysis syndrome (TLS)? A) Serum PTT of 10 seconds. B) Serum calcium of 5 mg/dl. C) Oxygen saturation of 90%. D) Hemoglobin of 10 g/dl. B) Serum calcium of 5 mg/dl. TLS results in hyperkalemia, hypocalcemia, hyperuricemia, and hyperphosphatemia. A serum calcium level of 5 (B), which is low, is an indicator of possible tumor lysis syndrome. (A, C, and D) are not particularly related to TLS. The nurse should be correct in withholding a dose of digoxin in a client with congestive heart failure without specific instruction from the healthcare provider if the client's A) serum digoxin level is 1.5. B) blood pressure is 104/68. C) serum potassium level is 3. D) apical pulse is 68/min. C) serum potassium level is 3. Hypokalemia (C) can precipitate digitalis toxicity in persons receiving digoxin which will increase the chance of dangerous dysrhythmias (normal potassium level is 3.5 to 5.5 mEq/L). The therapeutic range for digoxin is 0.8 to 2 ng/ml (toxic levels= >2 ng/ml); (A) is within this range. (B) would not warrant the nurse withholding the digoxin. The nurse should withhold the digoxin if the apical pulse is less than 60/min (D). In assessing a client diagnosed with primary hyperaldosteronism, the nurse expects the laboratory test results to indicate a decreased serum level of which substance? A) Sodium. B) Antidiuretic hormone. C) Potassium. D) Glucose. C) Potassium. Clients with primary aldosteronism exhibit a profound decline in the serum levels of potassium (C) (hypokalemia)--hypertension is the most prominent and universal sign. (A) is normal or elevated, depending on the amount of water reabsorbed with the sodium. (B) is decreased with diabetes insipidus. (D) is not affected by primary aldosteronism. Based on the analysis of the client's atrial fibrillation, the nurse should prepare the client for which treatment protocol? A) Diuretic therapy. B) Pacemaker implantation. C) Anticoagulation therapy. D) Cardiac catheterization. C) Anticoagulation therapy. The client is experiencing atrial fibrillation, and the nurse should prepare the client for anticoagulation therapy (C) which should be prescribed before rhythm control therapies to prevent cardioembolic events which result from blood pooling in the fibrillating atria. (A, B, and D) are not indicated. Which information about mammograms is most important to provide a post-menopausal female client? A) Breast self-examinations are not needed if annual mammograms are obtained. B) Radiation exposure is minimized by shielding the abdomen with a lead-lined apron. C) Yearly mammograms should be done regardless of previous normal x-rays. D) Women at high risk should have annual routine and ultrasound mammograms. C) Yearly mammograms should be done regardless of previous normal x-rays. The current breast screening recommendation is a yearly mammogram after age 40 (C). Breast self-exam (A) continues to be a priority recommendation for all women because a small lump (or tumor) is often first felt by a woman before a mammogram is obtained. The radiation exposure from a mammogram is low, so (B) is not normally provided. The frequency of using routine and ultrasound mammograms (D) in women with high-risk variables, such as a history of breast cancer, the presence of BRC1 and BRC2 genes, or 2 first-degree relatives with breast cancer, should be recommended and followed closely by the healthcare provider. In assessing cancer risk, the nurse identifies which woman as being at greatest risk of developing breast cancer? A) A 35-year-old multipara who never breastfed. B) A 50-year-old whose mother had unilateral breast cancer. C) A 55-year-old whose mother-in-law had bilateral breast cancer. D) A 20-year-old whose menarche occurred at age 9. B) A 50-year-old whose mother had unilateral breast cancer. The most predictive risk factors for development of breast cancer are over 40 years of age and a positive family history (occurrence in the immediate family, i.e., mother or sister). Other risk factors include nulliparity, no history of breastfeeding, early menarche and late menopause. Although all of the women described have one of the risk factors for developing breast cancer, (B) has the greater risk over (A, C, and D). Which reaction should the nurse identify in a client who is responding to stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system? A) Pupil constriction. B) Increased heart rate. C) Bronchial constriction. D) Decreased blood pressure. B) Increased heart rate. Any stressor that is perceived as threatening to homeostasis acts to stimulate the sympathetic nervous system and manifests as a flight-or-fight response, which includes an increase in heart rate (B). (A, C, and D) are responses of the parasympathetic nervous system. A client receiving cholestyramine (Questran) for hyperlipidemia should be evaluated for what vitamin deficiency? A) K. B) B12. C) B6. D) C. A) K. Clients should be monitored for an increased prothrombin time and prolonged bleeding times which would alert the nurse to a vitamin K deficiency (A). These drugs reduce absorption of the fat soluble (lipid) vitamins A, D, E, and K. (B, C, and D) are not fat-soluble vitamins. A client experiencing uncontrolled atrial fibrillation is admitted to the telemetry unit. What initial medication should the nurse anticipate administering to the client? A) Xylocaine (Lidocaine). B) Procainamide (Pronestyl). C) Phenytoin (Dilantin). D) Digoxin (Lanoxin). D) Digoxin (Lanoxin). Digoxin (Lanoxin) (D) is administered for uncontrolled, symptomatic atrial fibrillation resulting in a decreased cardiac output. Digoxin slows the rate of conduction by prolonging the refractory period of the AV node, thus slowing the ventricular response, decreasing the heart rate, and effecting cardiac output. (A, B, and C) are not indicated in the initial treatment of uncontrolled atrial fibrillation. What instruction should the nurse give a client who is diagnosed with fibrocystic changes of the breast? A) Observe cyst size fluctuations as a sign of malignancy. B) Use estrogen supplements to reduce breast discomfort. C) Notify the healthcare provider if whitish nipple discharge occurs. D) Perform a breast self-exam (BSE) procedure monthly. D) Perform a breast self-exam (BSE) procedure monthly. Fibrocystic changes in the breast are related to excess fibrous tissue, proliferation of mammary ducts and cyst formation that cause edema and nerve irritation. These changes obscure typical diagnostic tests, such as mammography, due to an increased breast density. Women with fibrocystic breasts should be instructed to carefully perform monthly BSE (D) and consider changes in any previous "lumpiness." Fibrocystic disease does not increase the risk of breast cancer (A). Cyst size fluctuates with the menstrual cycle, and typically lessens after menopause, and responds with a heightened sensitivity to circulating estrogen (B), which is not indicated. Nipple discharge associated with fibrocystic breasts is often milky or watery-milky and is an expected finding (C). The nurse is assessing a client who has a history of Parkinson's disease for the past 5 years. What symptoms should this client most likely exhibit? A) Loss of short-term memory, facial tics and grimaces, and constant writhing movements. B) Shuffling gait, masklike facial expression, and tremors of the head. C) Extreme muscular weakness, easy fatigability, and ptosis. D) Numbness of the extremities, loss of balance, and visual disturbances. B) Shuffling gait, masklike facial expression, and tremors of the head. (B) are common clinical features of Parkinsonism. (A) are symptoms of chorea, (C) of myasthenia gravis, and (D) of multiple sclerosis. A postmenopausal client asks the nurse why she is experiencing discomfort during intercourse. What response is best for the nurse to provide? A) Estrogen deficiency causes the vaginal tissues to become dry and thinner. B) Infrequent intercourse results in the vaginal tissues losing their elasticity. C) Dehydration from inadequate fluid intake causes vulva tissue dryness. D) Lack of adequate stimulation is the most common reason for dyspareunia. A) Estrogen deficiency causes the vaginal tissues to become dry and thinner. Estrogen deprivation decreases the moisture-secreting capacity of vaginal cells, so vaginal tissues tend to become thinner, drier (A), and the rugae become smoother which reduces vaginal stretching that contributes to dyspareunia. Dyspareunia is not related to (B or C). While (D) can contribute to discomfort during intercourse, the primary cause is hormone-related. Which symptoms should the nurse expect a client to exhibit who is known to have a pheochromocytoma? A) Numbness, tingling, and cramps in the extremities. B) Headache, diaphoresis, and palpitations. C) Cyanosis, fever, and classic signs of shock. D) Nausea, vomiting, and muscular weakness. B) Headache, diaphoresis, and palpitations. (B) is the typical triad of symptoms of tumors of the adrenal medulla (symptoms depend on the relative proportions of epinephrine and norepinephrine secretion). (A) lists the signs of latent tetany, exhibited by clients diagnosed with hypoparathyroidism. (C) lists the signs of an Addisonian (adrenal) crisis. (D) lists the signs of hyperparathyroidism.