A client with gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD), who has been self-medicating with famotidine for the past week, is admitted to the acute care center because the symptoms have worsened. The nurse should anticipate which treatment?

Insertion of a small bore tube for continuous enteral feedings.

Intravenous administration of a proton pump inhibitor.

Total parenteral nutrition administration via a central catheter.

Insertion of a nasogastric tube to low intermittent suction.

Answer and Explanation

The Correct Answer is B

Choice A reason: Inserting a small bore tube for enteral feedings is inappropriate for acute GERD exacerbation, as feeding increases gastric volume, worsening reflux by raising pressure and acid exposure. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) reduce acid production, alleviating mucosal irritation, addressing GERD’s pathophysiology more effectively than nutritional interventions.

Choice B reason: Intravenous PPIs (e.g., pantoprazole) are standard for severe GERD, inhibiting H+/K+-ATPase in parietal cells, reducing acid secretion. This promotes esophageal healing when oral famotidine fails. IV delivery ensures rapid onset, critical for controlling worsening symptoms, preventing complications like esophagitis or Barrett’s esophagus in acute settings.

Choice C reason: Total parenteral nutrition (TPN) bypasses the gut, used for conditions like bowel obstruction, not GERD, which involves acid reflux from sphincter dysfunction. TPN does not address acid production. PPIs target the pathophysiological cause, reducing esophageal acid exposure, making TPN irrelevant for GERD management.

Choice D reason: A nasogastric tube with suction removes gastric contents but does not treat GERD’s acid reflux, caused by lower esophageal sphincter dysfunction. It risks aspiration and is temporary. PPIs effectively reduce acid, preventing esophageal damage, making them the preferred treatment for severe GERD exacerbation.

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Correct Answer is B

Explanation

Choice A reason: Blood pressure of 142/88 mm Hg indicates mild hypertension but does not directly affect pulse oximetry, which measures arterial oxygen saturation via hemoglobin light absorption. Hypertension does not typically cause hypoxemia (91% SpO₂). Edema is more likely, as it disrupts sensor accuracy, leading to false low readings.

Choice B reason: 2+ edema in fingers and hands impairs pulse oximeter accuracy, as fluid in tissues scatters light, reducing the sensor’s ability to detect arterial hemoglobin saturation. This causes falsely low SpO₂ readings (91%), common in edema from heart failure, making it the primary contributor to the inaccurate measurement.

Choice C reason: A radial pulse volume of 3+ indicates strong arterial flow, supporting accurate pulse oximetry by ensuring perfusion. This does not explain a low SpO₂ of 91%, as strong pulses enhance sensor reliability. Edema’s interference with light transmission is more likely to cause the reduced reading.

Choice D reason: Capillary refill of 2 seconds is normal, indicating adequate perfusion. This does not contribute to a low SpO₂ (91%), as pulse oximetry measures arterial flow, not capillary dynamics. Edema disrupts light transmission, causing inaccurate readings, making it the most likely cause of the observed saturation.

A. Looking at the client from the side, observe the size and shape of the chest wall. B. Place the palm of the hand on the chest wall to feel vibrations while the client speaks. C. Use a stethoscope to listen to and compare breath sounds anteriorly and posteriorly. D. Use the fingertips to compress tissue over the lungs for evidence of a crackling sensation.

Correct Answer is B

Explanation

Choice A reason: Observing chest wall shape assesses for abnormalities like barrel chest, not tactile fremitus. Fremitus involves feeling vocal vibrations, increased in pneumonia due to consolidated lung tissue. Visual inspection does not evaluate vibration transmission, making it irrelevant for assessing fremitus in suspected pneumonia.

Choice B reason: Tactile fremitus is assessed by placing the palm on the chest while the client speaks, feeling vibrations through consolidated lung tissue in pneumonia. Fluid-filled alveoli enhance sound transmission, increasing fremitus. This directly evaluates lung pathology, confirming consolidation, critical for diagnosing pneumonia’s extent and severity.

Choice C reason: Using a stethoscope assesses breathing sounds like crackles, not tactile fremitus, which requires palpation of vocal vibrations. While breath sounds aid pneumonia diagnosis, fremitus specifically evaluates consolidation via vibration, making stethoscope use incorrect for this physical assessment technique focused on lung tissue density.

Choice D reason: Compressing tissue for crackling assesses crepitus or subcutaneous emphysema, not fremitus. In pneumonia, fremitus increases due to consolidation, not tissue compression. This method is irrelevant, as fremitus relies on vocal vibration transmission through palpation, making it inappropriate for assessing pneumonia-related lung changes.

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A client with gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD), who has been self-medicating with famotidine for the past week, is admitted to the acute care center because the symptoms have worsened. The nurse should anticipate which treatment?

Nursing Test Bank

Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams

The nurse attaches a pulse oximeter to a client’s finger and obtains an oxygen saturation reading of 91%. Which assessment finding most likely contributes to this reading?

Correct Answer is B

Explanation

In assessing tactile fremitus in the client with suspected pneumonia, the nurse should perform which action?

Correct Answer is B

Explanation

The nurse is providing teaching to a client with type 2 diabetes mellitus about important points for disease and symptom management. Which statement by the client indicates understanding?

On the second postoperative day, a client reports increasing abdominal pain. Assessment findings include a distended abdomen with absent bowel sounds. Which intervention should the nurse anticipate implementing?

The nurse is developing a teaching plan for a client with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) who has a history of myocardial infarction (MI) and smokes two packs of cigarettes daily. Which instruction has the highest priority?

Which nursing intervention is most effective in determining the severity of a client’s pain?

At 0800, the practical nurse (PN) reports to the registered nurse (RN) that a client’s blood pressure is 140/90 mm Hg. When the RN arrives to administer the 0900 antihypertensive medication, the client is oriented but lethargic, pale, and diaphoretic. Which action should the RN implement first?

The nurse is initiating a 24-hour urine collection for a client with an indwelling urinary catheter. After emptying all the urine from the collection bag, which action is most important for the nurse to implement?

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When performing postural drainage on a client with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which approach should the nurse use?