When doing discharge teaching for a patient who has had an emergency
splenectomy following an automobile accident, the nurse will teach the
patient about the increased risk for
a. infection.
b. lymphedema.
c. chronic anemia.
d. prolonged bleeding. Correct Answer-A
2. While obtaining a health history from a patient with numerous
petechiae on the skin, the nurse asks the patient specifically about the
patients use of
a. salicylates.
b. contraceptives.
c. antiseizure drugs.
d. antihypertensives. Correct Answer-A; salicylates interfere with
platelet function and can lead to petechiae and ecchymoses.
The nurse who is reviewing laboratory data for an 86-year-old patient
will be most concerned about
a. a white blood cell (WBC) count of 3500/mL.
b. a hematocrit of 37%.
c. a platelet count of 400,000/mL.
d. a hemoglobin of 11.8 g/dL. Correct Answer-A; slight decrease in
hemoglobin and hematocrit are not unusual for an older patient.
, When caring for a patient with a chronic iron deficiency anemia, the
nurse will assess for
a. yellow-tinged sclerae.
b. shiny, smooth tongue.
c. numbness of the extremities.
d. gum bleeding and tenderness. Correct Answer-B; loss of papillae of
the tongue occurs with chronic iron deficiency. Scleral jaundice is
associated with hemolysis, gum bleeding, and tenderness occur with
thrombocytopenia or neutropenia, and extremity numbness is associated
with vitamin b12 deficiency.
A patients complete blood count shows a hemoglobin of 20 g/dL and a
hematocrit of 54%. Which question should the nurse ask to determine
possible causes of this finding?
a. Has there been any recent weight loss?
b. Do you have any history of lung disease?
c. What is your intake of fruits and vegetables?
d. Have you noticed any dark or bloody stools? Correct Answer-B
When evaluating the red cell indices of a patient, the nurse knows that a
low mean corpuscular volume (MCV) indicates
a. hypochromic red blood cells (RBCs).
b. inadequate numbers of RBCs.
c. low hemoglobin in the RBCs.