HESI MED-SURG EXAM
QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS, RATIONALES,
TEST-TAKING STRATEGIES AND REFERENCES.
1. A client who has undergone abdominal surgery calls the nurse and reports that
she just felt “something give way” in the abdominal incision. The nurse checks the
incision and notes the presence of wound dehiscence. The nurse immediately:
Contacts the physician
Documents the findings
Places the client in a supine position with the legs flat
Covers the abdominal wound with a sterile dressing moistened with sterile
saline solution Correct
Rationale: Wound dehiscence is the disruption of a surgical incision or wound.
When dehiscence occurs, the nurse immediately places the client in a low
Fowler’s position or supine with the knees bent and instructs the client to lie
quietly. These actions will minimize protrusion of the underlying tissues. The
nurse then covers the wound with a sterile dressing moistened with sterile saline.
The physician is notified, and the nurse documents the occurrence and the
nursing actions that were implemented in response.
Test-Taking Strategy: Use the process of elimination and note the strategic word
“immediately.” Visualize this occurrence and recall that the primary concern
when wound dehiscence occurs is the protrusion of underlying tissues. This will
direct you to the correct option. Review the nursing actions to be taken
immediately in the event of wound dehiscence if you had difficulty with this
question.
Level of Cognitive Ability: Applying
,Client Needs: Physiological Integrity
Integrated Process: Nursing Process/Implementation
Content Area: Perioperative Care
Reference: Ignatavicius, D., & Workman, M. (2010). Medical-surgical nursing:
Patient-centered collaborative care (6th ed., pp. 291, 292, 296). St. Louis:
Saunders.
2. A client who just returned from the recovery room after a tonsillectomy and
adenoidectomy is restless and her pulse rate is increased. As the nurse continues
the assessment, the client begins to vomit a copious amount of bright-red blood.
The immediate nursing action is to:
Notify the surgeon
Continue the assessment
Check the client’s blood pressure
Obtain a flashlight, gauze, and a curved hemostat
Rationale: Hemorrhage is a potential complication after tonsillectomy and
adenoidectomy. If the client vomits a large amount of bright-red blood or the
pulse rate increases and the patient is restless, the nurse must notify the surgeon
immediately. The nurse should obtain a light, mirror, gauze, curved hemostat, and
waste basin to facilitate examination of the surgical site. The nurse should also
gather additional assessment data, but the surgeon must be contacted
immediately.
Test-Taking Strategy: Focus on the data in the question. Noting the words “bright-
,red blood” will assist in directing you to the correct option. Remember that the
presence of bright-red blood indicates active bleeding. Review the nursing actions
to be taken immediately when bleeding occurs after a tonsillectomy and
adenoidectomy if you had difficulty with this question.
Level of Cognitive Ability: Applying
Client Needs: Physiological Integrity
Integrated Process: Nursing Process/Implementation
Content Area: Delegating/Prioritizing
Reference: Ignatavicius, D., & Workman, M. (2010). Medical-surgical nursing:
Patient-centered collaborative care (6th ed., p. 657). St. Louis: Saunders.
3. A client who has just undergone surgery suddenly experiences chest pain,
dyspnea, and tachypnea. The nurse suspects that the client has a pulmonary
embolism and immediately sets about:
Preparing the client for a perfusion scan
Attaching the client to a cardiac monitor
Administering oxygen by way of nasal cannula
Ensuring that the intravenous (IV) line is patent
Rationale: Pulmonary embolism is a life-threatening emergency. Oxygen is
immediately administered nasally to relieve hypoxemia, respiratory distress, and
central cyanosis, and the physician is notified. IV infusion lines are needed to
administer medications or fluids. A perfusion scan, among other tests, may be
performed. The electrocardiogram is monitored for the presence of dysrhythmias.
, Additionally, a urinary catheter may be inserted and blood for arterial blood gas
determinations drawn. The immediate priority, however, is the administration of
oxygen.
Test-Taking Strategy: Focus on the client’s diagnosis and use the skills of
prioritizing. Apply the ABCs (airway, breathing, and circulation) to find the correct
option. Review the nursing actions to be taken immediately in the event of
pulmonary embolism if you had difficulty with this question.
Level of Cognitive Ability: Applying
Client Needs: Physiological Integrity
Integrated Process: Nursing Process/Implementation
Content Area: Delegating/Prioritizing
Reference: Ignatavicius, D., & Workman, M. (2010). Medical-surgical nursing:
Patient-centered collaborative care (6th ed., p. 680). St. Louis: Saunders.
4. A nurse is assessing a client who has a closed chest tube drainage system. The
nurse notes constant bubbling in the water seal chamber. What actions should
the nurse take? (Select all that apply).
Clamping the chest tube
Changing the drainage system
Assessing the system for an external air leak Correct
QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS, RATIONALES,
TEST-TAKING STRATEGIES AND REFERENCES.
1. A client who has undergone abdominal surgery calls the nurse and reports that
she just felt “something give way” in the abdominal incision. The nurse checks the
incision and notes the presence of wound dehiscence. The nurse immediately:
Contacts the physician
Documents the findings
Places the client in a supine position with the legs flat
Covers the abdominal wound with a sterile dressing moistened with sterile
saline solution Correct
Rationale: Wound dehiscence is the disruption of a surgical incision or wound.
When dehiscence occurs, the nurse immediately places the client in a low
Fowler’s position or supine with the knees bent and instructs the client to lie
quietly. These actions will minimize protrusion of the underlying tissues. The
nurse then covers the wound with a sterile dressing moistened with sterile saline.
The physician is notified, and the nurse documents the occurrence and the
nursing actions that were implemented in response.
Test-Taking Strategy: Use the process of elimination and note the strategic word
“immediately.” Visualize this occurrence and recall that the primary concern
when wound dehiscence occurs is the protrusion of underlying tissues. This will
direct you to the correct option. Review the nursing actions to be taken
immediately in the event of wound dehiscence if you had difficulty with this
question.
Level of Cognitive Ability: Applying
,Client Needs: Physiological Integrity
Integrated Process: Nursing Process/Implementation
Content Area: Perioperative Care
Reference: Ignatavicius, D., & Workman, M. (2010). Medical-surgical nursing:
Patient-centered collaborative care (6th ed., pp. 291, 292, 296). St. Louis:
Saunders.
2. A client who just returned from the recovery room after a tonsillectomy and
adenoidectomy is restless and her pulse rate is increased. As the nurse continues
the assessment, the client begins to vomit a copious amount of bright-red blood.
The immediate nursing action is to:
Notify the surgeon
Continue the assessment
Check the client’s blood pressure
Obtain a flashlight, gauze, and a curved hemostat
Rationale: Hemorrhage is a potential complication after tonsillectomy and
adenoidectomy. If the client vomits a large amount of bright-red blood or the
pulse rate increases and the patient is restless, the nurse must notify the surgeon
immediately. The nurse should obtain a light, mirror, gauze, curved hemostat, and
waste basin to facilitate examination of the surgical site. The nurse should also
gather additional assessment data, but the surgeon must be contacted
immediately.
Test-Taking Strategy: Focus on the data in the question. Noting the words “bright-
,red blood” will assist in directing you to the correct option. Remember that the
presence of bright-red blood indicates active bleeding. Review the nursing actions
to be taken immediately when bleeding occurs after a tonsillectomy and
adenoidectomy if you had difficulty with this question.
Level of Cognitive Ability: Applying
Client Needs: Physiological Integrity
Integrated Process: Nursing Process/Implementation
Content Area: Delegating/Prioritizing
Reference: Ignatavicius, D., & Workman, M. (2010). Medical-surgical nursing:
Patient-centered collaborative care (6th ed., p. 657). St. Louis: Saunders.
3. A client who has just undergone surgery suddenly experiences chest pain,
dyspnea, and tachypnea. The nurse suspects that the client has a pulmonary
embolism and immediately sets about:
Preparing the client for a perfusion scan
Attaching the client to a cardiac monitor
Administering oxygen by way of nasal cannula
Ensuring that the intravenous (IV) line is patent
Rationale: Pulmonary embolism is a life-threatening emergency. Oxygen is
immediately administered nasally to relieve hypoxemia, respiratory distress, and
central cyanosis, and the physician is notified. IV infusion lines are needed to
administer medications or fluids. A perfusion scan, among other tests, may be
performed. The electrocardiogram is monitored for the presence of dysrhythmias.
, Additionally, a urinary catheter may be inserted and blood for arterial blood gas
determinations drawn. The immediate priority, however, is the administration of
oxygen.
Test-Taking Strategy: Focus on the client’s diagnosis and use the skills of
prioritizing. Apply the ABCs (airway, breathing, and circulation) to find the correct
option. Review the nursing actions to be taken immediately in the event of
pulmonary embolism if you had difficulty with this question.
Level of Cognitive Ability: Applying
Client Needs: Physiological Integrity
Integrated Process: Nursing Process/Implementation
Content Area: Delegating/Prioritizing
Reference: Ignatavicius, D., & Workman, M. (2010). Medical-surgical nursing:
Patient-centered collaborative care (6th ed., p. 680). St. Louis: Saunders.
4. A nurse is assessing a client who has a closed chest tube drainage system. The
nurse notes constant bubbling in the water seal chamber. What actions should
the nurse take? (Select all that apply).
Clamping the chest tube
Changing the drainage system
Assessing the system for an external air leak Correct
