Nursing Elites

1. Which of the following symptoms is a client with colon cancer most likely to exhibit?

• A. A change in appetite
• B. A change in bowel habits
• C. An increase in body weight
• D. An increase in body temperature

Correct answer: B

Rationale: A change in bowel habits is the most common symptom of colon cancer.

2. When teaching a community group about measures to prevent colon cancer, which instruction should the nurse include?

• A. Limit fat intake to 20% to 25% of your total daily calories.
• B. Include 15 to 20 grams of fiber into your daily diet.
• C. Get an annual rectal examination after age 35.
• D. Undergo sigmoidoscopy annually after age 50.

Correct answer: A

Rationale: Limiting fat intake is a recommended measure to reduce the risk of colon cancer. Including fiber, undergoing annual rectal examinations, and sigmoidoscopy are also important, but limiting fat intake is directly related to reducing cancer risk.

3. Your patient, Christopher, has a diagnosis of ulcerative colitis and has severe abdominal pain aggravated by movement, rebound tenderness, fever, nausea, and decreased urine output. This may indicate which complication?

• A. Fistula.
• B. Bowel perforation.
• C. Bowel obstruction.
• D. Abscess.

Correct answer: B

Rationale: Severe abdominal pain aggravated by movement, rebound tenderness, fever, nausea, and decreased urine output in a patient with ulcerative colitis may indicate bowel perforation.

4. Kevin has a history of peptic ulcer disease and vomits coffee-ground emesis. What does this indicate?

• A. He has fresh, active upper GI bleeding.
• B. He needs immediate saline gastric lavage.
• C. His gastric bleeding occurred 2 hours earlier.
• D. He needs a transfusion of packed RBCs.

Correct answer: C

Rationale: Coffee-ground emesis is a sign of upper gastrointestinal bleeding that occurred approximately 2 hours earlier. It results from the breakdown of blood in the stomach due to digestive enzymes, giving it a coffee-ground appearance. Choice A is incorrect because coffee-ground emesis indicates older, partially digested blood, not fresh active bleeding. Choice B is incorrect as gastric lavage is not indicated for coffee-ground emesis. Choice D is incorrect because a transfusion of packed RBCs is not the immediate management for this presentation.

5. The nurse is doing an admission assessment on a client with a history of duodenal ulcer. To determine whether the problem is currently active, the nurse would assess the client for which of the following most frequent symptom(s) of duodenal ulcer?

• A. Pain that is relieved by food intake
• B. Pain that radiated down the right arm
• C. N/V
• D. Weight loss

Correct answer: A

Rationale: Pain that is relieved by food intake is the most frequent symptom of duodenal ulcers because the food neutralizes the stomach acid.

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