The nurse assists with admission of a patient to the hospital with pancreatitis and a history of alcohol abuse. Why is it important for the nurse to observe the patient for agitation, tremors, and hallucinations?
a. These symptoms indicate possible cirrhosis of the liver.
b. These are symptoms of alcohol withdrawal.
c. Patients with a history of alcohol abuse are at risk for mental illness.
d. The patient may be using alcohol in the hospital setting.
ANS: B
Sometimes patients who are actively using drugs or alcohol when admitted to an inpatient setting, or who are cut off from their alcohol abruptly, experience a condition called delirium tremens (DTs). In DTs, hyperexcitability in the sensory activity of the individual can cause visual hallucinations, tremors, and possibly tonic-clonic seizures. These are not symptoms of cirrhosis. Patients with alcohol histories are at risk for cognitive changes, but not necessarily mental illness. If the patient were using alcohol in the hospital, he or she would not be experiencing DTs.
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