ANS: B
Clients with IBS are advised to eat a high-ber diet (30 to 40 g/day), with 8 to 10 cups of liquid daily. Chicken with brown rice, broccoli, and apple juice has the highest ber content. They should avoid alcohol, caeine, and other gastric irritants.
ANS: A
Ischemic colitis is a life-threatening complication of alosetron. The nurse should assess the client for constipa- tion. The other questions do not identify complications related to alosetron.
ANS: B
Assessment ndings indicate that the client may have an over-full bladder. In the immediate postoperative peri- od, the client may experience diculty voiding due to urinary retention. The nurse should assess when the client last voided. The client’s vital signs may be checked after the nurse determines the client’s last void. Asking about atus and auscultating bowel sounds are not related to a hemorrhoidectomy.
ANS: D
Colon cancer is rare before the age of 40, but its incidence increases rapidly with advancing age. Fast food tends to be high in fat and low in ber, increasing the risk for colon cancer. Co ee intake, IBS, and a heavy workload do not increase the risk for colon cancer.
ANS: C
The presence of visible peristaltic waves, accompanied by high-pitched or tingling bowel sounds, is indicative of partial obstruction caused by the tumor. The nurse should contact the provider with these results and recom- mend a computed tomography scan for further diagnostic testing. This assessment nding is not associated with right shoulder pain; peritonitis and cholecystitis are associated with referred pain to the right shoulder. The registered nurse is not qualied to complete a rectal examination for polyps, and laxatives would not help this client.
ANS: C
A negative result from a fecal occult blood test does not completely rule out the possibility of colon cancer. To determine whether the client has colon cancer, a colonoscopy should be performed so the entire colon can be visualized and a tissue sample taken for biopsy. The client may want to speak with the provider, but the nurse should address the client’s concerns prior to contacting the provider.
ANS: B
The nurse recognizes that the client may be expressing feelings of grief. The nurse should encourage the client to verbalize feelings and identify fears to move the client through the phases of the grief process. A psychiatric consult is not appropriate for the client. The nurse should not brush aside the client’s feelings with discussions related to cancer prognosis and treatment. The nurse should not assume that the client desires family or friends to visit or provide emotional support.
ANS: C
Nurses need to become familiar with community-based resources to better assist clients. The local chapter of the United Ostomy Associations of America has resources for clients and their families, including Ostomates (specially trained visitors who also have ostomies). The nurse should not suggest that the client speak with a personal contact of the nurse. Although the enterostomal therapist is an expert in ostomy care, talking with him or her is not the same as talking with someone who actually has had a colostomy. The nurse should not brush aside the client’s request by saying that most people with colostomies do not want to talk about them. Many people are willing to share their ostomy experience in the hope of helping others.
ANS: B
On noticing the ecchymotic areas, the nurse should check to see if abdominal guarding or rigidity is present, be- cause this could indicate major organ injury. The nurse should then notify the provider. Measuring abdominal girth or obtaining a complete health history is not appropriate at this time. Laboratory test results can be checked after assessment for abdominal guarding or rigidity.
ANS: A
The nurse should collaborate with the ostomy nurse to help the client and her husband work through intimacy issues. The nurse should not minimize the client’s concern about her husband with ways to hide the ostomy. The client will not hurt the stoma by engaging in sexual activity.
ANS: B
The first bowel movement after hemorrhoidectomy can be painful enough to induce syncope. The nurse should stay with the client. The nurse should instruct clients who are discharged the same day to have someone near- by when they have their rst postoperative bowel movement. Making sure the call light is within reach is an im- portant nursing action too, but it does not take priority over client safety. Obtaining a bedside commode and taking a stool sample are not needed in this situation.
ANS: D
All of the options are important nursing actions in the care of a trauma client. However, airway always comes rst. The client must have a patent airway, or other interventions will not be helpful.
ANS: D
A change in the nature and timing of abdominal pain in a client with a bowel obstruction can signal peritonitis or perforation. The nurse should immediately check for rebound tenderness and the absence of bowel sounds. The nurse should not medicate the client until the provider has been notied of the change in his or her condi- tion. The nurse may help the client to the knee-chest position for comfort, but this is not the priority action. The nurse need not insert a nasogastric tube for decompression.
ANS: A
Common side eects of 5-FU include fatigue, leukopenia, diarrhea, mucositis and mouth ulcers, and peripheral
neuropathy. However, the client’s WBC count is very low (normal range is 5000 to 10,000/mm3), so the provider should be notied. He or she may want to delay chemotherapy by a day or two. Certainly the client is at high risk for infection. The other assessment ndings are consistent with common side eects of 5-FU that would not need to be reported immediately.
ANS: A
The stool from an ascending colostomy can be expected to remain liquid because little large bowel is available to reabsorb the liquid from the stool. This nding is not abnormal. Liquid stool from an ascending colostomy will not become rmer with the addition of ber to the client’s diet or with the passage of time.
ANS: B
Lubiprostone (Amitiza) is a new drug for IBS with constipation that works by simulating receptors in the in- testines to increase uid and promote bowel transit time. Lubiprostone is currently approved only for use in women. Trials with increased numbers of male participants are needed prior to Food and Drug Administration approval for men.
a. “You may experience nausea and vomiting for the rst few weeks.”
b. “Carbonated beverages can help decrease acid re ux from anastomosis sites.”
c. “Take a stool softener to promote softer stools for ease of defecation.”
d. “You may return to your normal workout schedule, including weight lifting.”
ANS: C
Clients recovering from a colon resection should take a stool softener as prescribed to keep stools a soft consis- tency for ease of passage. Nausea and vomiting are symptoms of intestinal obstruction and perforation and should be reported to the provider immediately. The client should be advised to avoid gas-producing foods and carbonated beverages, and avoid lifting heavy objects or straining on defecation.
ANS: C
The client should be taught to modify his or her diet to decrease animal fat and rened carbohydrates. The client should also increase high-ber foods and Brassica vegetables, including broccoli and cauliower, which help to protect the intestinal mucosa from colon cancer.
ANS: A
The nurse should empty the new ostomy pouch frequently because of excess gas collection, and empty the pouch when it is one-third to one-half full of stool. The ostomy pouch does not need to be changed every morn- ing. Ostomy wafers with paste should be used to secure and seal the ostomy appliance; surgical tape should not be used.
ANS: D
The nurse should encourage the client to have frequent colonoscopies to identify abnormal polyps and cancer- ous cells early. The abnormal gene associated with colon cancer is an autosomal dominant gene mutation that does not skip a generation and places the client at high risk for cancer. Changing the client’s diet, preemptive chemotherapy, and removal of polyps will decrease the client’s risk but will not prevent cancer. However, a client at risk for colon cancer should eat a low-fat and high-ber diet.
ANS: A, C, E
The client’s head should be exed forward once the NG tube has reached the oropharynx. The NG tube should be secured to the client’s gown, not to the pillowcase, because it could become dislodged easily. All the other actions are appropriate.
ANS: B, C, D
The ostomy appliance should be changed as needed when the adhesive begins to decrease, placing the appli- ance at risk of leaking. Changing the appliance daily can cause skin breakdown as the adhesive will still be se- cured to the client’s skin. The client should avoid using soap to clean around the stoma because it might pre- vent eective adhesion of the ostomy appliance. The client should use warm water and a soft washcloth in- stead. The tissue of the stoma is very fragile, and scant bleeding may occur when the stoma is cleaned. The ange should be cut to t snugly around the stoma to reduce contact between excretions and the client’s skin. Exercise (other than some contact sports) is important for clients with an ostomy. The stoma should remain a soft pink color. A deep red or purple hue indicates ischemia and should be reported to the surgeon right away. Yogurt and buttermilk can help reduce gas in the pouch, so the client need not avoid dairy products.
ANS: A, B, E
The nurse should ask the client about factors that may cause exacerbations of symptoms, including food, stress, and anxiety. The nurse should also assess the location, intensity, and quality of the client’s pain, and nausea associated with defecation or meals. Clients who have IBS do not usually lose weight and stools are not black in color.
ANS: A, B, D
Postoperative care for clients with an inguinal hernia includes all general postoperative care except coughing. The nurse should promote lung expansion by encouraging deep breathing and ambulation. The nurse should encourage normal urination, including allowing the client to stand, and should provide scrotal support and ice bags to prevent swelling. A hernia should never be forcibly reduced, and this procedure is not part of postoper- ative care.