A nurse in a provider's office is caring for a client who is at 34 weeks of gestation and at risk for placental abruption. The nurse should recognize that which of the following is the most common risk factor for abruption?
Cigarette smoking
Hypertension
Blunt force trauma
Cocaine use
The Correct Answer is B
Choice A rationale
This is incorrect because cigarette smoking is not the most common risk factor for abruption. Cigarette smoking can increase the risk of abruption by causing vasoconstriction and reducing placental blood flow, but it is less prevalent and less severe than hypertension.
Choice B rationale
This is correct because hypertension is the most common risk factor for abruption. Hypertension can cause damage to the uterine vessels and lead to bleeding and separation of the placenta from the uterine wall. Hypertension affects about 40% of clients who experience abruption and can be chronic or pregnancy-induced.
Choice C rationale
This is incorrect because blunt force trauma is not the most common risk factor for abruption. Blunt force trauma can cause abruption by applying direct pressure or shear force to the placenta, but it is less common and less predictable than hypertension. Blunt force trauma can result from motor vehicle accidents, falls, or physical abuse.
Choice D rationale
This is incorrect because cocaine use is not the most common risk factor for abruption. Cocaine use can increase the risk of abruption by causing vasoconstriction and uterine contractions, but it is less common and less consistent than hypertension. Cocaine use can also cause other complications, such as fetal growth restriction, preterm labor, or stillbirth.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is D
Explanation
Choice A rationale
Abdominal pain with scant red vaginal bleeding is not a finding that supports placenta previa. This finding may indicate placental abruption, which is the premature separation of the placenta from the uterine wall. Placental abruption is a medical emergency that can cause severe bleeding, pain, and fetal distress.
Choice B rationale
Intermittent abdominal pain following passage of bloody mucus is not a finding that supports placenta previa. This finding may indicate the onset of labor, which is characterized by contractions and the expulsion of the mucus plug that seals the cervix. Labor can be normal or preterm, depending on the gestational age of the fetus.
Choice C rationale
Increasing abdominal pain with a nonrelaxed uterus is not a finding that supports placenta previa. This finding may indicate uterine rupture, which is the tearing of the uterine wall. Uterine rupture is a rare but life-threatening complication that can cause severe bleeding, shock, and fetal death.
Choice D rationale
Painless red vaginal bleeding is a finding that supports placenta previa. Placenta previa is a condition where the placenta covers part or all of the cervix, which is the opening of the uterus. Placenta previa can cause bleeding when the cervix dilates or contracts, or when the placenta detaches from the uterine wall. The bleeding is usually painless because the placenta has no nerve endings.
Correct Answer is B
Explanation
Choice A rationale
This is incorrect because variable decelerations are not related to fetal head compression. Fetal head compression causes early decelerations, which are symmetrical and mirror the shape of the uterine contraction.
Choice B rationale
This is correct because variable decelerations are due to umbilical cord compression. Umbilical cord compression reduces the blood flow and oxygen delivery to the fetus, resulting in abrupt and irregular decreases in the fetal heart rate that vary in onset, depth, and duration.
Choice C rationale
This is incorrect because variable decelerations are not caused by uteroplacental insufficiency. Uteroplacental insufficiency causes late decelerations, which are symmetrical and begin after the peak of the uterine contraction.
Choice D rationale
This is incorrect because variable decelerations are not a result of the administration of narcotic analgesics. Narcotic analgesics can cause a decrease in the baseline fetal heart rate and variability, but not variable decelerations.
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