A patient diagnosed with bipolar disorder has rapidly changing mood cycles. The health care provider prescribes an anticonvulsant medication. To prepare teaching materials, which drug should the nurse anticipate will be prescribed?
a. phenytoin (Dilantin)
b. clonidine (Catapres)
c. risperidone (Risperdal)
d. carbamazepine (Tegretol)
ANS: D
Some patients with bipolar disorder, especially those who have only short periods between episodes, have a favorable response to the anticonvulsants carbamazepine and valproate. Carbamazepine seems to work better in patients with rapid cycling and in severely paranoid, angry manic patients. Phenytoin is also an anticonvulsant but not used for mood stabilization. Risperidone is not an anticonvulsant. See relationship to audience response question.
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The parents of a newborn diagnosed with cri du chat syndrome request information about this disorder. What statements by the nurse are appropriate?
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A nurse is removing sutures from the surgical wound of a patient after an appendectomy and notices that the sutures are encrusted with blood and difficult to pull out. What would be the appropriate intervention in this situation?
A) Moisten sterile gauze with sterile saline to loosen crusts before removing sutures. B) Wash the sutures with warm, sterile water and an antimicrobial soap before removing them. C) Pick the crusts off the sutures with the forceps before removing them. D) Do not attempt to remove the sutures because they need more time to heal.