The nurse is caring for a patient who has a bleeding gastric ulcer. How will the nurse expect the patient's stool to appear?
a. Soft and formed with bright red streaks
b. Watery with particles of undigested food
c. Sticky and black with strong foul odor
d. Hard lumps that are difficult to pass
ANS: C
Bleeding within the upper GI tract will cause stools to appear black and tarry with a foul odor as the blood is digested by the lower GI tract. Bleeding within the lower GI tract presents with soft stools that have bright red streaks. Watery stool with particles of food is indicative of gastroenteritis. Hard lumps that are difficult to pass indicate constipation, often from medications or lack of fiber in the diet.
You might also like to view...
The amount of blood in a scalp injury is directly related to the seriousness of the head injury
a. True b. False A) True B) False
The nurse is caring for a patient who has suicidal ideations. The patient tells the nurse, "My boyfriend told the cops that I was planning to kill myself. That's why I'm in the hospital." What is the nurse's best response?
1. "Do you feel you need to be in the hospital?" 2. "Your boyfriend must love you very much, right?" 3. "Your boyfriend thought you were planning to kill yourself?" 4. "Do you think your boyfriend meant well by telling the police you were planning to kill yourself?"
For the client who delivered at 6:30 AM on January 10, Rho(D) immune globulin (RhoGAM) must be administered prior to:
a. 6:30 AM on January 13. b. 6:30 PM on January 13. c. 6:30 PM on January 14. d. 6:30 AM on January 15.
A patient, brought into the emergency department with symptoms of acute pancreatitis, has an abdominal ultrasound. The nurse realizes that the reason this diagnostic test is done first is because it will
1. confirm the diagnosis. 2. assess for gall stones as the cause of the pain. 3. determine the severity. 4. diagnose complications.