Several patients are admitted after being exposed to a substance that was released in their manufacturing plant. The patients are demonstrating flu-like symptoms, unproductive cough, and fever. These patients should be assessed for which type of exposure?
1. anthrax
2. smallpox
3. dirty bomb
4. nuclear detonation
Correct Answer: 1
Inhalation anthrax carries the highest mortality rate among biologic weapons. The patient initially exhibits influenza-like symptoms such as fever, nonproductive cough, headache, and malaise that advance to respiratory distress, mediastinal widening, and hemodynamic collapse in 3 to 5 days. Death may occur shortly thereafter. Untreated patients die in 2 to 3 days. Smallpox spreads by direct contact or by inhalation of respiratory droplets. Symptoms include a high fever, headache, and malaise, followed by a vesicular/pustular rash appearing simultaneously on the face and extremities. A dirty bomb causes radiation sickness. Nuclear detonation causes thermal burns.
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The nurse places the nondominant hand over the costovertebral angle (CVA) and strikes it with the dominant hand. This tests for tenderness in which organ?
1) Spleen 2) Kidney 3) Liver 4) Bladder
A nursing instructor is developing a teaching plan for a class about families. Which of the following would the instructor be most likely to include?
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