NR 507 EDAPT Week 5 Gastrointestinal System | Practice Test, Questions, Answers & Comprehensive Review

NR 507 - EDAPT - Week 5 Alterations in the Gastrointestinal System.pdf
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507 - EDAPT - Week 5 Alterations in the Gastrointestinal System.pdf




Chapter 42: Alterations of Digestive Function
I. Disorders of the GI Tract
A. Clinical Manifestations of GI Disorders
1. Anorexia: lack of desire to eat despite physiologic stimuli that would normally
produce hunger
a) Associated with nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, psychological stress, and
aging
2. Vomiting: forceful emptying of stomach and intestinal contents
a) Stimulants
b) Nausea: subjective experience that is associated with many conditions
c) Retching: muscular even of vomiting without actual vomit
3. Constipation: difficult/infrequent defection
a) Patho
(1) Primary
(a) Normal transit (functional): difficulty with evacuation
i) Associated with sedentary lifestyle, poor diet, decrease fluid intake
(b) Slow transit constipation: impaired colonic motor activity with infrequent
movements, straining, mild distention and palpable stool
(c) Pelvic floor dysfunction or outlet: due to failure of pelvic floor muscles or
anal sphincter to relax
(2) Secondary: due to diet, mediations, or neurogenic disorders
b) Clinical Manifestations
c) E&T:
(1) Description of frequency, stool consistency, associated pain, presence of
blood, cramping, etc
(2) Treatment: bowel retraining, exercise, increased fluids and fiber, etc
4. Diarrhea; present of loose, watery stool
a) Patho:
(1) Osmotic: non-absorbable substance draws water in
(2) Secretory: due to excessive mucosal secretion of chloride and bicarb rich
(3) Motility: resection of small intestine
b) Clinical Manifestations
c) Evaluate and Treat
5. Abdominal Pain
a) Mechanical, inflammatory, or ischemic
b) Parietal pain comes from parietal peritoneum
c) Visceral comes from stimuli
d) Referred: distant
6. GI Bleeding
a) Upper GI: from esophagus, stomach, or duodenum, characterized by frank,
bright red bleeding or coffee-ground stool
b) Lower GI: from jejunum, ileum, colon, rectum
(1) Occult bleeding: slow, chronic bleeding
c) Decrease blood as fluid loss
B. Disorders of Motility
1. Dysphagia
a) Patho: difficulty swallowing or perception f obstruction
(1) Mechanical: tumors, hernias, etc
(2) Functional: neural or muscular disorders that interfere with voluntary
swallowing
(3) Achalasia: loss of inhibitory neurons in the myenteric plexus with smooth
muscle atrophy in the middle and lower portions of the esophagus




NR 507 - EDAPT - Week 5 Alterations inNR
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Gastrointestinal
- EDAPT - WeekSystem.pdf
5 Alterations inNR
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Gastrointestinal
- EDAPT - WeekSystem.pdf
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, NR 507 - EDAPT - Week 5 Alterations in the Gastrointestinal System.pdf
8/11/2026, 1:11:32
NR PM
507 - EDAPT - Week 5 Alterations in the Gastrointestinal System.pdf




b) Clinical Manifestations: dependent on location of obstruction
c) Evaluate and Treat: floor and US, barium swallow
(1) Patient education, elevate head, tube feedings, etc
2. Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD): reflux of acid and pepsin from the
stomach to cause esophagitis
a) Patho: abnormalities in LES function, esophageal motility, and gastric motility
(1) Vomiting, coughing, lifting, bending, obesity
(2) Severity depends of composition of gastric contents
b) Clinical Manifestations
c) Evaluate and Treat: test pH, PPIs
3. Hiatal Hernia
a) Patho: diaphragmatic hernia with protrusion of upper part of stomach through
diaphragm and into thorax
(1) Four types
b) Clinical Manifestations: asymptomatic, heartburn, regurgitation, dysphagia, and
epigastric pain
(1) From strangulation: chest/epigastric pain, nausea/vomiting, GI bleeding
c) Evaluate and Treat: CXR with barium swallow
(1) Small meals, weight control, PPIs, etc
4. Pyloric Obstruction
a) Patho: narrowing or blocking of opening between stomach and duodenum
(1) Acquired due to peptic ulcer or carcinoma
b) Clinical Manifestations
(1) Epigastric pain, anorexia, weight loss
(2) Vomiting is the cardinal symptom
c) Evaluate and Treat: NG tube to decompress stomach, PPI or H2 Receptors
5. Intestinal Obstruction and Paralytic Ileus
a) Caused by any condition that prevents the normal flow of chyme through
intestinal lumen/failure
b) Usually small intestine because it has a smaller lumen
c) Patho:
(1) Small Bowel Obstruction: usually due to post-operative adhesions, tumors,
Crohn’s disease, hernias’ nd intussusception
(2) Large Bowel Obstruction: usually due to carcinoma
d) Clinical Manifestations: colicky pains with nausea/vomiting
e) Evaluate and Treat: replacement of fluid and electrolytes and decompression of
the lumen
C. Gastritis: inflammatory disorder of gastric mucosa
1. Acute: due to injury of the protective mucosal barrier by drugs, chemicals, or H.
Pylori infection
a) NSAIDs can cause, alcohol, etc
b) Clinical Manifestations: vague abdominal discomfort, epigastric tenderness,
bleeding
2. Chronic: inflammation, mucosal atrophy, metaplasia
D. Peptic Ulcer Disease
1. Break in protective mucosal lining of the lower esophagus, stomach, or duodenum
2. Risk factors: genetics, H. Pylori, aspirin, NSAIDs, alcohol, smoking, pancreatitis,
COPD, obesity, cirrhosis, age
3. Superficial: erosions because they erode the mucosa
4. Duodenal Ulcers:
a) Patho: due to acid and pepsin concentrations that penetrate mucosal barrier
b) Clinical Manifestations: chronic, intermittent pain in the epigastric area because
30 minutes-2 hr after eating
c) Evaluate and Treat: similar to duodenal ulcers




NR 507 - EDAPT - Week 5 Alterations inNR
the507
Gastrointestinal
- EDAPT - WeekSystem.pdf
5 Alterations inNR
the507
Gastrointestinal
- EDAPT - WeekSystem.pdf
5 Alterations in the Gastrointestinal System.pdf