A child is being admitted with the diagnosis of meningitis. Select the procedure the nurse should do first:
Send the spinal fluid and blood samples to the laboratory for cultures.
Administration of maintenance intravenous fluids.
Placement of a urinary catheter.
Administration of intravenous antibiotics.
The Correct Answer is D
Choice A reason: Sending spinal fluid and blood for cultures is critical to identify the meningitis-causing organism, but it is not the first action. Delaying antibiotics risks worsening the infection, as bacterial meningitis progresses rapidly, causing neurological damage or death, making treatment the priority.
Choice B reason: Administering maintenance IV fluids supports hydration but is not the first priority in meningitis. Antibiotics are urgent to combat the infection, as bacterial meningitis can cause septicemia or brain damage within hours, making fluid administration secondary to immediate antimicrobial therapy.
Choice C reason: Placing a urinary catheter is unnecessary as the first action in meningitis. It may be used for monitoring in severe cases but does not address the urgent need to treat the infection. Antibiotics take precedence to prevent rapid neurological deterioration from bacterial proliferation.
Choice D reason: Administering IV antibiotics is the priority in suspected meningitis to rapidly treat bacterial infection, preventing complications like septicemia or brain damage. Prompt antibiotic therapy targets pathogens like Neisseria meningitidis, halting disease progression and improving outcomes in this life-threatening condition.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is B
Explanation
Choice A reason: Clubfoot is not primarily a bone development abnormality. It involves shortened tendons and ligaments, causing foot deformity. While bones may adapt to the abnormal positioning, the primary defect lies in soft tissue contractures, not bone formation, making this statement inaccurate.
Choice B reason: Clubfoot (talipes equinovarus) results from shortened tendons and ligaments, twisting the foot inward and downward. This congenital condition involves tight Achilles tendons and other soft tissues, causing the characteristic deformity, correctable with casting or surgery, making this the accurate explanation.
Choice C reason: Poor blood supply is not the cause of clubfoot. The condition stems from soft tissue contractures, not vascular insufficiency leading to tissue death. Bone necrosis is unrelated to this congenital deformity, which involves musculoskeletal misalignment, making this statement incorrect.
Choice D reason: Clubfoot is not caused by a dislocated joint. It results from shortened tendons and ligaments, not joint dislocation. The foot’s inward turn is due to soft tissue contractures, not a displaced joint, distinguishing it from other orthopedic conditions like hip dysplasia.
Correct Answer is C
Explanation
Choice A reason: Cerebral palsy results from brain injury, often perinatally, affecting movement and posture, not from neural tube closure failure. It involves motor cortex damage, not structural defects of the neural tube, which forms early in embryonic development, making it unrelated to neural tube defects.
Choice B reason: Muscular dystrophy is a genetic disorder causing progressive muscle degeneration, not a neural tube defect. It affects muscle fibers, not the embryonic neural tube, which forms the brain and spinal cord, distinguishing it from conditions like spina bifida.
Choice C reason: Spina bifida is a neural tube defect where the embryonic neural tube fails to close, causing spinal cord and vertebral defects. This congenital malformation can lead to neurological impairments, like paralysis, due to exposed or malformed spinal structures, a hallmark of neural tube defects.
Choice D reason: Hydrocephalus involves cerebrospinal fluid accumulation in the brain, often secondary to other conditions, but is not a primary neural tube defect. It results from impaired fluid dynamics, not failure of neural tube closure, distinguishing it from spina bifida’s embryonic origin.
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