ATI RN
ATI Pathophysiology Test Bank
1. A patient is hospitalized with active tuberculosis. The patient is receiving antitubercular drug therapy and is not responding to the medications. What do you suspect the patient is suffering from?
- A. Human immunodeficiency virus
- B. Drug-resistant tuberculosis
- C. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
- D. Vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Correct answer: B
Rationale: When a patient with active tuberculosis is not responding to antitubercular drug therapy, drug-resistant tuberculosis should be suspected. Drug-resistant tuberculosis occurs when the bacteria causing tuberculosis become resistant to the medications being used. Choices A, C, and D are incorrect because the scenario described does not align with HIV infection, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
2. A nurse practitioner is assessing a 7-year-old boy who has been brought to the clinic by his mother, who is concerned about her son's increasingly frequent, severe headaches. Which of the nurse's questions is least likely to yield data that will confirm or rule out migraines as the cause of his problem?
- A. Does your son experience nausea or vomiting when he has a headache?
- B. Does your son have a history of recent head injury?
- C. Does your son become sensitive to light when he has a headache?
- D. Does anyone in your family have a history of migraines?
Correct answer: B
Rationale: Asking about a history of recent head injury is less likely to yield data relevant to confirming or ruling out migraines. Migraines are often associated with symptoms like nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light, and a family history of migraines. While head injuries can cause headaches, the focus of the assessment in this case should be on symptoms more specific to migraines to guide the diagnosis and management.
3. A woman is complaining that she feels like the room is spinning even though she is not moving. Which of the following is characteristic of benign positional vertigo?
- A. It usually occurs with a headache.
- B. Pupillary changes are common.
- C. It is usually triggered when the patient bends forward.
- D. Nystagmus continues even when the eyes fixate on an object.
Correct answer: C
Rationale: The correct answer is C: 'It is usually triggered when the patient bends forward.' Benign positional vertigo is often triggered by changes in head position, such as bending forward. Choices A, B, and D are incorrect. A is incorrect because benign positional vertigo is not typically associated with headaches. B is incorrect because pupillary changes are not a common feature of benign positional vertigo. D is incorrect because nystagmus in benign positional vertigo usually stops when the eyes fixate on an object.
4. How does influenza immunization produce immunity?
- A. The virus from the vaccine remains in the body until the end of the season
- B. An attenuated virus causes immune system suppression and triggers immunity
- C. The body identifies the virus and develops antibodies against the virus
- D. The vaccine remains in the injection site and produces immune cells
Correct answer: C
Rationale: The correct answer is C. Influenza immunization works by introducing a weakened or inactivated form of the virus into the body, allowing the immune system to recognize it as foreign. This recognition triggers the production of antibodies specific to the virus. Choice A is incorrect as the virus in the vaccine does not remain in the body until the end of the season. Choice B is incorrect as an attenuated virus does not cause immune system suppression but rather stimulates an immune response. Choice D is incorrect because the vaccine does not stay at the injection site but rather prompts a systemic immune response throughout the body.
5. A client with diabetes mellitus has just undergone a right, below-the-knee amputation following gangrene infection. A few days after the amputation, the client confides in the nurse that he still feels his right foot. Knowing the pathophysiologic principles behind this, the nurse can:
- A. administer a psychotropic medication to help the client cope with the sensation of his amputated leg.
- B. explain that many amputees have this sensation and that one theory surmises the end of a regenerating nerve becomes trapped in the scar tissue of the amputation site.
- C. call the physician and request an order for a psychological consult.
- D. educate the client that this area has an unusually abnormal increase in sensitivity to sensation but that it will go away with time.
Correct answer: B
Rationale: The correct answer is B. The sensation of feeling the amputated limb is known as phantom limb pain, which is common after amputation. One theory suggests that it occurs because the end of a regenerating nerve becomes trapped in the scar tissue at the amputation site. Administering psychotropic medication (choice A) is not the first-line treatment for phantom limb pain. Requesting a psychological consult (choice C) is premature without first addressing the known pathophysiological basis of phantom limb pain. Educating the client that the sensitivity will go away with time (choice D) is not entirely accurate as phantom limb pain can persist long-term.
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