A patient with nasal trauma has clear, watery fluid dripping from the nose. After testing, the nurse learns this fluid contains glucose. What should this finding indicate to the nurse?
1. There is a fracture of the ethmoid or sphenoid sinus.
2. The patient needs to be suctioned.
3. Cerebrospinal fluid is present.
4. The patient has coryza.
Correct Answer: 3
Clear, watery fluid draining from the nose or ear of a patient who has suffered nasal trauma should be tested for the presence of glucose. Cerebrospinal fluid will test positive on a glucose test strip, indicating damage to the dura and increasing the patient's risk of meningitis and ascending infection. Clear nasal drainage is not an indication of a fracture. Patients with nasal fracture should not be suctioned, as this may introduce microorganisms and cause additional tissue trauma. Coryza is the term for clear, watery nasal discharge that often presents with the common cold.
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