In which of the following situations would a living will provide clear direction to the care and treatment of the individual involved?
A) Mr. Penny, age 81, has been diagnosed with bone cancer, is experiencing severe pain, and has been presented with treatment options.
B) Ms. Jelic, age 78, has been brought to the emergency department after falling on an escalator.
C) Mrs. Kerr, age 77, has been admitted to hospital with an electrolyte imbalance secondary to an accidental overdose of diuretics.
D) Mr. Jimenez, age 84, has suffered a severe hemorrhagic stroke and is unconscious and unlikely to survive.
Ans: D
Living wills are legal documents whose purpose is to allow people to specify the type of medical treatment they would want or not want if they become incapacitated as a result of terminal illness. A limitation of living will directives is that they apply only to situations in which the person is considered terminally ill, whereas advance directives apply to a broader range of circumstances.
You might also like to view...
The triage nurse notes upon assessment in the emergency room that the patient with anxiety is hyperventilating. The nurse is aware that hyperventilation is the most common cause of which acid-base imbalance?
A) Respiratory acidosis B) Respiratory alkalosis C) Increased PaCO2 D) Central nervous system (CNS) disturbances
The nurse is evaluating a patient admitted to the emergency department with an evolving STEMI for possible administration of thrombolytic therapy. Which of the following identified during history taking would contraindicate this type of therapy?
a. The patient just completed her last menstrual cycle. b. The patient states that the chest pain started 1 hour ago. c. The patient has a history of a small cerebral aneurysm. d. The patient has hypertension that is well controlled by diuretic therapy.
A 36-year-old woman has been diagnosed as having uterine fibroids. When planning care for this patient, the nurse should know that:
a. Fibroids are malignant tumors of the uterus that require radiation or chemothera-py. b. Fibroids will increase in size during the perimenopausal period. c. Menorrhagia is a common finding. d. The woman is unlikely to become pregnant as long as the fibroids are in her ute-rus.
Daily co-administration of both aspirin and ibuprofen can ________ the overall antiplatelet effects of aspirin because ________.
A. delay; aspirin interferes with ibuprofen's inactivation of COX-1 enzyme B. increase; ibuprofen is a COX-1 enhancer and has the ability to alter the active site on COX and inhibit thromboxane production C. cancel; ibuprofen is a COX-1 inhibitor and can occupy the same enzymatic site in the platelets but does not have the ability to alter the active site on COX or inhibit thromboxane production D. have no effect on; ibuprofen seldom interferes with platelet aggregation