which of the following injuries if demonstrated by a client entering the emergency department is the highest priority
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Nursing Elites

NCLEX-PN

NCLEX-PN Quizlet 2023

1. Which of the following injuries, if demonstrated by a client entering the Emergency Department, is the highest priority?

Correct answer: C

Rationale: A stab wound to the chest might result in lung collapse and mediastinal shift that, if untreated, could lead to death. Treatment of an obstructed airway or a chest wound is a higher priority than hemorrhage. The principle of ABC (airway, breathing, and circulation) prioritizes care decisions. In this scenario, the stab wound to the chest poses the highest risk to the client's life as it can lead to severe complications such as lung collapse and mediastinal shift. Addressing this injury promptly is crucial to prevent further harm or potential fatality. Open leg fracture, open head injury, and traumatic amputation of a thumb, while serious, do not pose an immediate life-threatening risk compared to a stab wound to the chest.

2. A client newly diagnosed with Diabetes Mellitus needs education. Which of the following statements should the nurse include in this education?

Correct answer: C

Rationale: A client newly diagnosed with Diabetes Mellitus requires education on managing their condition. Choice C is the correct answer because it emphasizes the importance of a comprehensive approach involving both diet and exercise. This holistic approach is crucial in managing blood sugar levels and overall health for individuals with diabetes. Choice A is incorrect as it provides misleading information by suggesting that the client can eat anything as long as it doesn't contain sugar, which is not accurate for diabetes management. Choice B is not the best option as it focuses solely on weight loss rather than addressing the holistic needs of a diabetic individual. Choice D is incorrect as it suggests eliminating all salt, fat, and sugar, which is an extreme approach and not a realistic or balanced way to manage diabetes.

3. Why must the nurse be careful not to cut through or disrupt any tears, holes, bloodstains, or dirt present on the clothing of a client who has experienced trauma?

Correct answer: C

Rationale: The correct answer is C. Trauma in any client, living or dead, has potential legal and/or forensic implications. Clothing, patterns of stains, and debris are sources of potential evidence and must be preserved. Nurses must be aware of state and local regulations that require mandatory reporting of cases of suspected child and elder abuse, accidental death, and suicide. Each Emergency Department has written policies and procedures to assist nurses and other health care providers in making appropriate reports. Physical evidence is real, tangible, or latent matter that can be visualized, measured, or analyzed. Emergency Department nurses can be called on to collect evidence. Health care facilities have policies governing the collection of forensic evidence. The chain of evidence custody must be followed to ensure the integrity and credibility of the evidence. The chain of evidence custody is the pathway that evidence follows from the time it is collected until it has served its purpose in the legal investigation of an incident. Choices A, B, and D are incorrect because they do not address the crucial aspect of preserving potential evidence with legal implications that may be present on the clothing of a trauma victim.

4. A client arrives in the emergency department after severely lacerating the left hand with a knife. HR 96, BP 150/88, R36. The client is extremely anxious and crying uncontrollably. Based on this assessment, the nurse anticipates that this client would be in which acid-base imbalance?

Correct answer: B

Rationale: The correct answer is respiratory alkalosis. Hyperventilation due to anxiety, pain, shock, severe infection, fever, or liver failure can lead to respiratory alkalosis. In this scenario, the client is extremely anxious and crying uncontrollably, indicating an increased respiratory rate and CO2 loss. Respiratory acidosis (choice A) is incorrect as it is characterized by an increase in CO2 levels, not a loss. Metabolic acidosis (choice C) involves a decrease in blood pH due to an accumulation of acids or loss of bicarbonate, which is not the case here. Metabolic alkalosis (choice D) results from excess bicarbonate or a loss of acids, not from increased CO2 loss due to hyperventilation.

5. In a client with asthma who develops respiratory acidosis, what should the nurse expect the client's serum potassium level to be?

Correct answer: B

Rationale: In respiratory acidosis, the serum potassium level is expected to be elevated. This occurs because potassium shifts from cells into the bloodstream as a compensatory mechanism to maintain acid-base balance. Choices A, C, and D are incorrect. A normal potassium level is not expected in respiratory acidosis. A low potassium level is more commonly associated with alkalosis, not acidosis. The potassium level is indeed related to pH changes in respiratory acidosis, leading to the expected elevation.

Similar Questions

The client is undergoing progressive ambulation on the third day after a myocardial infarction. Which clinical manifestation would indicate that the client should not be advanced to the next level?
Which of the following terms refers to soft tissue injury caused by blunt force?
What is the best nursing diagnosis for a client with newly diagnosed Diabetes Mellitus?
During a stress test, a patient complains of severe chest pain. Which of the following medications is the most appropriate to relieve this discomfort?
When assessing a client in the Emergency Department whose membranes have ruptured, the nurse notes that the fluid is a greenish color. What is the cause of this greenish coloration?

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