You are caring for a patient in the emergency department who is waiting to have a CT scan because of a possible obstruction of the intestinal tract
You draw blood to send to the lab and the patient asks you why you are drawing this blood. What would be your best response?
A) "One thing the physicians are looking at is what your level of CA 19-9 is. If the levels are high, it can indicate one of several diseases that might cause your bowel obstruction."
B) "The physicians are checking the levels of a tumor marker in your blood."
C) "You don't need to worry about that right now."
D) "The doctor wants to know if you have pancreatitis."
Ans: A
Feedback: CA 19-9 levels are elevated in most patients with advanced pancreatic cancer, but they may also be elevated in other conditions such as colorectal, lung, and gallbladder cancers, gallstones, pancreatitis, cystic fibrosis, and liver disease. Option B is incorrect; it is not the nurse's place to tell the patient they may have cancer. Option C is incorrect; you are telling the patient you won't answer the question because it isn't important. It is up to the physician to tell the patient what they are looking for with the blood tests, and you know that with a possible bowel obstruction, the physicians are not looking for pancreatitis.
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