SURGICAL NURSING, QUESTIONS WITH
CORRECT ANSWERS
A nurse caring for a client with sickle cell disease (SCD) reviews the client's laboratory test results. Which
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finding would the nurse report to the primary health care provider?
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A. Creatinine: 2.9 mg/dL
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B. Hematocrit: 30%
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C. Sodium: 146 mEq/L
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D. White blood cell count: 12,000 mm^3 - correct answer A. An elevated creatinine indicates kidney damage,
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which occurs in SCD. The rest are expected findings in SCD.
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The nurse is assessing a client in sickle cell disease crisis. What PRIORITY client problem will the nurse expect?
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A. Infection
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B. Pallor
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C. Pain
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D. Fatigue - correct answer C. The priority expected client problem for clients experiencing SCD crisis is pain,
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often concentrated in the legs, arms, and joints.
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A client in sickle cell crisis is dehydrated and in the emergency department. The nurse plans to start an IV.
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Which fluid choice is best?
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a. 0.45% normal saline
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b. 0.9% normal saline
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,c. Dextrose 50% (D50)
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d. Lactated Ringer's solution - correct answer A. Because clients in sickle cell crisis are often dehydrated, the
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fluid of choice is a hypotonic solution such as 0.45% normal saline.
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A client presents to the emergency department in sickle cell crisis. What intervention by the nurse takes
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PRIORITY?
A. Administer oxygen
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B. Initiate pulse oximetry
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C. Give pain medication
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D. Start an IV line - correct answer A. All actions are appropriate, but remembering the ABCs, oxygen would
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come first. The main problem in a sickle cell crisis is tissue and organ hypoxia, so providing oxygen helps halt
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the process. w
A client hospitalized with sickle cell disease crisis frequently asks for opioid pain medications, often shortly
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after receiving a dose. The nurses on the unit believe that the client is drug seeking. When the client requests
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pain medication, what action by the nurse is best?
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A. Give the client pain medication if it is time for another dose.
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B. Instruct the client not to request pain medication too early.
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C. Request the primary health care provider leave a prescription for a placebo.
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D. Tell the - correct answer A. Clients with sickle cell crisis often have severe pain that is managed with up to 48
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hours of IV opioid analgesics. Even if the client is addicted and drug seeking, he or she is still in extreme pain. If
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the client can receive another dose of medication, the nurse would provide it.
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The nurse is caring for a client experiencing sickle cell disease crisis. Which PRIORITY action would help
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prevent infection. w
A. Administering prophylactic antibiotics.
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B. Monitoring the client's temperature.
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C. Checking the client's white blood cell count
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D. Performing frequent handwashing - correct answer D. Frequent and thorough handwashing is the most
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important intervention that helps prevent infection. w w w w w
A nurse in a hematology clinic is working with four different clients who have polycythemia vera. Which client
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would the nurse assess first? w w w w
,A. Client with a blood pressure of 180/98 mm Hg
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B. Client who reports shortness of breath
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C. Client who reports calf tenderness
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D. Client with a swollen and painful left great toe - correct answer B. Clients with polycythemia vera often
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have clotting abnormalities due to hyperviscous blood with sluggish flow. The client reporting shortness of
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breath may have a pulmonary embolism and should be seen first.
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The nurse is teaching a client who has pernicious anemia about necessary dietary changes. Which statement
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by the client indicates UNDERSTANDING about those changes?
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A. "I'll increase animal proteins like fish and meat."
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B. "I'll work on increasing my fats and carbohydrates."
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C. "I'll avoid eating green leafy vegetables."
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D. "I'll limit my intake of citrus fruits." - correct answer A. Clients who have pernicious anemia have a vitamin
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B12 deficiency and need to consume foods high in vitamin B12, such as animal and plant proteins, citrus
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fruits, green leafy vegetables, and dairy products.
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An assistive personnel (AP) is caring for a client with leukemia and asks why the client is still at risk for
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infection when the white blood cell count (WBC) is high. What response by the nurse is correct?
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A. "If the WBCs are high, there already is an infection present."
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B. "The client is in a blast crisis and has too many WBCs."
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C. "There must be a mistake; the WBCs should be very low."
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D. "Those WBCs are abnormal and don't provide protection." - correct answer D. In leukemia, the WBCs are
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abnormal and do not provide protection to the client against infection. w w w w w w w w w w
The family of a neutropenic client reports that the client "is not acting right." What action by the nurse is the
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PRIORITY?
A. Ask the client about pain.
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B. Assess the client for infection.
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C. Take a set of vital signs.
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D. Review today's lab results. - correct answer B. Neutropenic clients often do not have classic manifestations
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of infection, but infection is the most common cause of death in neutropenic clients. The nurse would
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definitely assess for infection. w w w
, A nurse is caring for a client who is about to receive a bone marrow transplant. To best help the client cope
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with the long recovery period, what action by the nurse is best?
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A. Arrange a visitation schedule among family and friends.
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B. Explain that this process is difficult but must be endured.
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C. Help the client find things to hope for each day of recovery
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D. Provide plenty of diversionary activities for this time. - correct answer C. Providing hope is an essential
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nursing function during treatment for any disease process, but especially during the recovery period after
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bone marrow transplantation, which can take up to 3 weeks. The nurse can help the client look ahead to the
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recovery period and identify things to hope for during this time.
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A client asks about the process of graft-versus-host disease. What explanation by the nurse is correct?
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A. "Because of immunosuppression, the donor cells take over."
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B. "It's like a transfusion reaction because no perfect match exists."
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C. "The patient's cells are fighting the donor cells for dominance."
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D. "The donor's cells are actually attacking the patient's cells." - correct answer D. Graft-versus-host disease is
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an autoimmune-type process in which the donor cells recognize the client's cells as foreign and begin
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attacking them. w
The nurse is caring for a patient with leukemia who has severe fatigue. What action by the client best
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indicates that an important outcome to manage this problem has been met?
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A. Doing activities of daily living using rest periods.
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B. Helping plan a daily activity schedule
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C. Requesting a sleeping pill at night.
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D. Telling visitors to leave when fatigued. - correct answer A. Fatigue is a common problem for clients with
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leukemia. This client is managing her own ADLs using rest periods, which indicates an understanding of
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fatigue and how to control it. w w w w w
A nurse is caring for a young male client with lymphoma who is to begin treatment. What teaching topic is a
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PRIORITY?
A. Genetic testing
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B. Infection prevention
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