A patient with pancreatitis asks the nurse, "Why are my stools so frothy and smell so bad?" What is the nurse's best response?
1. "This is a sign of malnutrition.".
2. "This indicates your stools have more fat in them.".
3. "This is a sign of peptic ulcer disease.".
4. "You may be developing diabetes mellitus.".
2
Rationale 1: Pancreatitis can lead to malnutrition, but steatorrhea is not a sign of malnutrition. This statement is inaccurate.
Rationale 2: Steatorrhea is fatty, frothy, smelly stools associated with pancreatitis caused by a lack of pancreatic enzymes in the gastric lumen. Because of the lack of enzymes, fat in the GI tract is not absorbed properly and a greater than normal amount of fat is excreted in the stool, causing the symptoms of steatorrhea.
Rationale 3: Peptic ulcer disease can be related to pancreatitis, but it is not related to steatorrhea, or fatty stools.
Rationale 4: Diabetes mellitus causes increased urine production and could be the result of pancreatitis, but it does not affect stool characteristics.
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