A client has a history of alcohol abuse. Which pain relief regimen does the nurse anticipate if morphine (MS Contin) is given for pain?
a. A higher dose of opioids will be needed to provide effective pain relief.
b. A lower dose of opioids will be needed to provide effective pain relief.
c. The appropriate drug selection is an opioid agonist-antagonist combination.
d. The client will receive no pain relief from the morphine.
A
People who drink significant amounts of alcohol daily have elevated liver enzyme activity that degrades morphine and morphine agonists. As a result, these clients frequently have tolerance for opioid analgesics and require higher doses of agonists to achieve an acceptable level of pain relief during acute pain episodes.
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A patient who has a mandibular structural abnormality has just been admitted to the postsurgical unit from the PACU following surgical remodeling. To ensure this patient's safety, what action should the nurse prioritize?
A) Ensuring that suction tubing and a deep suction catheter are available at the bedside B) Maintaining all four of the patient's bed rails in a raised position C) Encouraging the patient to temporarily use a bedpan rather than a commode or toilet D) Ensuring that wire cutters or scissors are available at the patient's bedside
When the liver is seriously damaged, ammonia levels can rise in the body. One of the treatments for this is:
1. administering intravenous (IV) neomycin. 2. giving vitamin K. 3. giving lactulose. 4. starting the patient on insulin.
What pharmacologic agent is most appropriate for the treatment of a patient with an organophosphate poisoning?
a. Atropine b. Calcium chloride c. Epinephrine d. Lidocaine
In order to assess and evaluate a client's psychiatric symptoms, the nurse who practices effec-tively will understand that psychiatric symptoms:
1. Are either present or absent 2. Fluctuate dynamically 3. Appear only in set patterns 4. Can be measured empirically