When examining a patient's right lower quadrant for cutaneous hypersensitivity, you elicit a painful response as you
a. gently touch his skin with a cotton-tipped applicator.
b. lift a fold of skin away from the underlying muscle.
c. place a warm washcloth on his abdomen.
d. flex his left leg.
B
Cutaneous hypersensitivity indicates a zone of peritoneal irritation. Localized pain in all or part of the RLQ may accompany appendicitis. Midepigastrium pain could signal a peptic ulcer. On stimulation by lifting a fold of skin away from the underlying muscle, cutaneous hypersensitivity zones of sensory nerves initiate a painful response. The patient experiences an exaggerated sense of pain. In the obturator muscle test, which helps determine if a patient has appendicitis, the right leg is flexed.
You might also like to view...
A client with borderline personality disorder gives written notice of intention to leave the hospital after a voluntary admission. The client tells the nurse, "I will rescind my notice if you expand my smoking privileges
" The nurse should respond in a way that: 1. Convinces the client to rescind the notice. 2. Provides exceptions to the unit rules. 3. Refers the client to the physician. 4. Consistently reinforces the unit rules.
The nurse is using inspection to assess the breasts of a female client. Which finding might the nurse obtain using this assessment technique?
1. Symmetry. 2. Hard nodules. 3. Tenderness. 4. Skin consistency.
A 6-year-old girl is being seen at the clinic for a well-child checkup. The guardian tells the nurse that the child is having difficulty getting to sleep at night and asks for suggestions. What is the nurse's best response?
a. "You should play an active game with her like basketball to wear her out." b. "It would be a good idea to save homework until right before bedtime." c. "Quiet activities like reading sometimes help to settle down children her age." d. "Try to delay dinner time until later to help make her sleepy."
The perinatal nurse demonstrates for the student nurse the correct technique of postpartum uterine palpation. Support for the lower uterine segment is critical as without it, there is an increased risk of:
A) Uterine edema B) Uterine inversion C) Incorrect measurement D) Intensifying the patient's level of pain