Mrs. Parker has been hospitalized after a stroke. Her daughter is helping her to eat her meals because the stroke has left her with dysphagia and right side paralysis
Wendy, the student nurse caring for Mrs. Parker, is concerned about aspiration and discusses this potential complication with Mrs. Parker's daughter. Wendy knows additional teaching is necessary when Mrs. Parker's daughter states:
A. "I will know when Mom is aspirating her food because she will cough."
B. "Mom's gag reflex is not as strong as it once was."
C. "I need to watch for pocketing food as I feed Mom."
D. "It takes much longer to feed Mom than it did before the stroke."
A
Patients with dysphagia do not usually exhibit overt signs such as coughing when food enters the airway. "Silent aspiration," or aspiration that occurs without a cough, is a common cause of complications. Silent aspiration accounts for 40% to 70% of aspiration in patients with dysphagia after stroke.
You might also like to view...
Documentation pertinent to the colostomy irrigation includes all essential information except
A. Condition of skin. B. Amount of return of solution. C. Color of stoma. D. Circumference of pouch opening on bag.
A nurse is required to educate nursing students about the mechanisms that antibodies use to destroy antigens. Which ways do antibodies destroy antigens?
1 . Destroy toxins 2 . Facilitate phagocytosis 3 . Imprison invader cells 4 . Complementing fixation A) 1, 2, 3 B) 1, 2, 4 C) 1, 3, 4 D) 2, 3, 4
A nurse reads about a case study involving the potential positive effects of the early stimulation of post–head-injury clients. Which of the following questions should be a priority consideration before use of the research results?
1. "What was the cost of the study?" 2. "Were ethical principles maintained?" 3. "Were the results of this study published in other journals?" 4. "Are the clients in the study similar to clients I work with?"
The ability of NPs to diagnose and treat has increased the provision of health care, teaching, and client compliance with teaching plans. In some states standing orders for the manage-ment of certain illnesses exist. This implies:
1. All patients will be treated the same. 2. Nursing diagnoses are used as the basis of practice. 3. Assessment is based on the medical model and does not involve nursing. 4. The NP uses protocols or algorithms that were previously agreed upon by the physician and the NP.