The nurse is monitoring a patient with a casted left tibial fracture and a contusion of the thigh. The patient reports increasing pain in the left foot that has not been relieved by morphine injections. What should the nurse do?
a. Reposition the casted leg.
b. Repeat the morphine injection now.
c. Give a higher ordered dose of morphine.
d. Ensure physician is immediately notified.
ANS: D
The early symptom of acute compartment syndrome is the patient's report of severe, increasing pain that is not relieved with narcotics, so the physician should be notified. A. B. C. These actions might be done if prescribed by the physician.
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The patient has developed cardiogenic shock and is decompensating. What pattern of hemodynamic alterations does the nurse expect to find?
A) High preload, high afterload, low cardiac index, tachycardia B) Low preload, low afterload, high cardiac index, bradycardia C) Low preload, high afterload, high cardiac index, tachycardia D) High preload, low afterload, high cardiac index, tachycardia
You find a patient on the floor at shift change. She is awake and alert. She is confused now and was not confused prior to the being found on the floor. What is your first step in the nursing process in this situation?
A. Leave the patient to get help. B. Gather more information by making observations about the patient. C. Call the patient's MD from your cell phone. D. Help the patient get up and then document your findings in the chart.
Schizophrenia is caused by a major trauma in childhood
Indicate whether the statement is true or false.
A patient, age 45, is to have a myelogram to confirm the presence of a herniated intervertebral disk. Which nursing action should be planned with respect to this diagnostic test?
a. Obtain an allergy history before the test. b. Ambulate the patient when returned to the room after the test. c. Use heated blanket to keep patient warm after procedure. d. Keep NPO for 6 to 8 hours after the test.