The nurse is teaching a client with a history of upper gastrointestinal bleeding to check his stool for occult blood. Which information provided by the nurse is most accurate?
1. Blood is never obvious in the stool, and must be detected by guaiac testing.
2. Acute bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract will result in bright red blood in the stool.
3. If a client is vomiting blood, stools will not be black and tarry.
4. Stools that are black and tarry occur with prolonged bleeding from the stomach or small intestine.
Answer: 4
1. Blood can be seen in the stool.
2. Bright red rectal bleeding is indicative of lower GI bleeding.
3. As the blood from the upper GI passes through the intestines, chemical reactions cause it to become black and tarry.
4. As the blood from the upper GI passes through the intestines, chemical reactions cause it to become black and tarry.
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