A nurse is assessing a newborn infant following circumcision and notes that the circumcised area is red
with a small amount of bloody drainage. Which of the following nursing actions would be most
appropriate?
1. Document the findings
2. Contact the physician
3. Circle the amount of bloody drainage on the dressing and reassess in 30 minutes
4. Reinforce the dressing - Answers 1. Document the findings - The penis is normally red during the
healing process. A yellow exudate may be noted in 24 hours, and this is a part of normal healing. The
nurse would expect that the area would be red with a small amount of bloody drainage. If the bleeding
is excessive, the nurse would apply gentle pressure with sterile gauze. If bleeding is not controlled, then
the blood vessel may need to be ligated, and the nurse would contact the physician. Because the
findings identified in the question are normal, the nurse would document the assessment.
A nurse in a delivery room is assisting with the delivery of a newborn infant. After the delivery, the nurse
prepares to prevent heat loss in the newborn resulting from evaporation by:
1. Warming the crib pad
2. Turning on the overhead radiant warmer
3. Closing the doors to the room
4. Drying the infant in a warm blanket - Answers 4. Drying the infant in a warm blanket - Evaporation of
moisture from a wet body dissipates heat along with the moisture. Keeping the newborn dry by drying
the wet newborn infant will prevent hypothermia via evaporation.
A nurse in the newborn nursery is monitoring a preterm newborn infant for respiratory distress
syndrome. Which assessment signs if noted in the newborn infant would alert the nurse to the
possibility of this syndrome?
1. Hypotension and Bradycardia
2. Tachypnea and retractions
3. Acrocyanosis and grunting
4. The presence of a barrel chest with grunting - Answers 2. Tachypnea and retractions - The infant with
respiratory distress syndrome may present with signs of cyanosis, tachypnea or apnea, nasal flaring,
chest wall retractions, or audible grunts.
, A nurse in a newborn nursery is performing an assessment of a newborn infant. The nurse is preparing
to measure the head circumference of the infant. The nurse would most appropriately:
1. Wrap the tape measure around the infant's head and measure just above the eyebrows.
2. Place the tape measure under the infants head at the base of the skull and wrap around to the front
just above the eyes
3. Place the tape measure under the infants head, wrap around the occiput, and measure just above the
eyes
4. Place the tape measure at the back of the infant's head, wrap around across the ears, and measure
across the infant's mouth. - Answers 3. To measure the head circumference, the nurse should place the
tape measure under the infant's head, wrap the tape around the occiput, and measure just above the
eyebrows so that the largest area of the occiput is included.
A postpartum nurse is providing instructions to the mother of a newborn infant with hyperbilirubinemia
who is being breastfed. The nurse provides which most appropriate instructions to the mother?
1. Switch to bottle feeding the baby for 2 weeks
2. Stop the breast feedings and switch to bottle-feeding permanently
3. Feed the newborn infant less frequently
4. Continue to breast-feed every 2-4 hours - Answers 4. Continue to breast-feed every 2-4 hours - Breast
feeding should be initiated within 2 hours after birth and every 2-4 hours thereafter. The other options
are not necessary.
A nurse on the newborn nursery floor is caring for a neonate. On assessment the infant is exhibiting
signs of cyanosis, tachypnea, nasal flaring, and grunting. Respiratory distress syndrome is diagnosed, and
the physician prescribes surfactant replacement therapy. The nurse would prepare to administer this
therapy by:
1. Subcutaneous injection
2. Intravenous injection
3. Instillation of the preparation into the lungs through an endotracheal tube
4. Intramuscular injection - Answers 3. The aim of therapy in RDS is to support the disease until the
disease runs its course with the subsequent development of surfactant. The infant may benefit from
surfactant replacement therapy. In surfactant replacement, an exogenous surfactant preparation is
instilled into the lungs through an endotracheal tube.
A nurse is assessing a newborn infant who was born to a mother who is addicted to drugs. Which of the
following assessment findings would the nurse expect to note during the assessment of this newborn?