A patient comes into the emergency department with complaints of abdominal pain that have been becoming more severe
Upon assessment, the nurse observes the patient and believes the patient has acute pancreatitis because of which of the following? 1. patient sitting on side of the bed, arms extended back, legs dangling
2. patient lying on left side, knees pulled up to the chest
3. patient lying flat in bed
4. patient walking around perimeter of room
2
Rationale: The classic pattern of pain is described as a sudden onset of sharp, knifelike, twisting and deep, epigastric pain that frequently radiates to the back, and is often associated with nausea and vomiting. The patient may report some degree of relief by assuming a leaning forward or knee/chest position and may report an increase in pain when doing activities that increase abdominal pressure. Sitting on the side of the bed with the arms extended behind and legs dangling might increase intra-abdominal pressure. Even though the pain intensity varies greatly from patient to patient, the patient might not be able to tolerate lying completely flat in bed. Walking around the room also might increase intra-abdominal pressure and make the pain worse. Based upon all of these possible postures, the nurse most likely observed the patient lying on the left side with the knees pulled up to the chest. This posture attempts to reduce the pressure in the abdomen.
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