Which of the following observations by a nurse calls for immediate action?
A) Patient's inability to read fine print
B) Foul odor related to incontinence
C) Cigarette burns on a patient's fingers
D) Patient's report of having difficulty seeing objects to the side
C
Feedback:
Cigarette burns indicate a reduced ability to sense pressure and pain, which can be dangerous. The patient and her or his family must be alerted about the problem, and the home environment should be arranged for safety. If possible, the patient should stop smoking. The other choices indicate problems that should be dealt with, but they are not immediate threats.
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While assessing the patient's respiratory rate, the nurse assesses 4 normal breaths followed by an episode of apnea lasting 20 seconds. The nurse will describe this breathing pattern in her documentation as:
A) Eupnea B) Apnea C) Biot's respiration D) Cheyne-Stokes
The nurse learns a patient receiving a new prescription for oxandrolone takes a lipid-lowering medication daily. What will the nurse tell the patient about this drug interaction?
A) Lipid-lowering drug becomes much less effective. B) Increased risk of oxandrolone toxicity with this combination of drugs C) Increased risk of liver damage with this combination of drugs D) Oxandrolone becomes less effective with this combination of drugs.
The nurse is monitoring a patient's metabolic status with a thermodilution catheter to determine oxygen saturation of venous blood. How would the nurse report the findings of this test?
1. As oxygen extraction 2. Using the Fick equation 3. As indirect calorimetry 4. As direct calorimetry
A patient with severe hypertension, chosen to receive an experimental medication that has shown a dramatic efficacy in lowering blood pressure, has been told that his participation in the study is no longer needed
The patient is upset because he wanted to try the medication to control his blood pressure. What should the nurse do to support this patient? 1. Tell the patient that he can participate some other time. 2. Explain to the patient that experimental medications rarely produce the desired results. 3. Help the patient understand that his participation "wasn't meant to be." 4. Talk with the researchers about the patient's right to receive the medication.