NURS 5463 Questions and Correct Answers
acute diarrhea Ans: symptoms less than 4 weeks
chronic diarrhea Ans: persistant symptoms for 4 weeks for
greater
chronic diarrhea causes Ans: infectious, inflammatory,
malabsorptive, and malignant
evaluation of diarrhea includes Ans: infectious stool studies
endoscopy for chronic diarrhea
Bloating and gas may indicate Ans: small intestinal bacterial
overgrowth
should be assessed in all older patients with diarrhea as they are
particularly susceptible to dehydration Ans: fluid status
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should be obtained with recent antibiotic use Ans: c-difficile
testing
fecal elastase Ans: evaluates for pancreatic insufficiency (chronic
diarrhea)
fecal calprotectin Ans: as an intestinal inflammatory marker
serologic testing with tissue transglutaminase IgA antibody Ans:
testing for celiac disease
breath testing Ans: small intestinal bacterial overgrowth
(sensitivity and specificity of this test are poor)
diarrhea related to tube feeding Ans: another important cause of
acute and chronic diarrhea
c-difficile is treated with Ans: oral vancomycin or fidaxomicin for
10 days as first-line therapy
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