A nurse is admitting a term newborn to the nursery following a cesarean birth. The nurse observes that the newborn's skin is slightly yellow. This finding indicates the newborn is experiencing a complication related to which of the following?
Maternal/newborn blood group incompatibility
Absence of vitamin K
Maternal cocaine abuse
Physiologic jaundice
The Correct Answer is A
Choice A reason:
Maternal/newborn blood group incompatibility is the most common cause of pathologic jaundice, which appears within the first 24 hours of life. This occurs when the mother's antibodies attack the newborn's red blood cells, causing hemolysis and increased bilirubin production. The excess bilirubin causes the yellowish discoloration of the skin and mucous membranes.
Choice B reason:
The absence of vitamin K is not related to jaundice but to hemorrhagic disease of the newborn. Vitamin K is essential for blood clotting and is given to newborns as an injection shortly after birth. Newborns are at risk of vitamin K deficiency because they have low levels of vitamin K in their bodies and breast milk, and their intestinal bacteria are not yet able to synthesize vitamin K.
Choice C reason:
Maternal cocaine abuse can cause many complications for the newborn, such as prematurity, low birth weight, neonatal abstinence syndrome, neurobehavioral problems, and congenital anomalies. However, it is not a direct cause of jaundice in the newborn.
Choice D reason:
Physiologic jaundice is a normal and benign condition that affects about 60% of term newborns. It occurs due to the immature liver's inability to metabolize bilirubin effectively. It usually appears after the first 24 hours of life and peaks around the third or fourth day. It does not require treatment unless the bilirubin level is very high or rising rapidly.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is A
Explanation
Choice A reason:
All milk- and lactose-containing formulas, including breast milk, must be stopped during infancy. Soy protein is the formula of choice for newborns and infants with galactosemia. Breast milk should not be used in newborns and infants with galactosemia because it contains galactose, which they cannot metabolize properly.
Choice B reason:
Adding amino acids to the breast milk will not help the newborn with galactosemia, because the problem is not a lack of amino acids, but a deficiency of the enzyme that breaks down galactose. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, not sugars.
Choice C reason:
Substituting a lactose-containing formula for breast milk will worsen the condition of the newborn with galactosemia because lactose is composed of glucose and galactose. The newborns will still be exposed to galactose, which will accumulate in the blood and tissues and cause damage.
Choice D reason:
Giving the appropriate enzyme along with breast milk is not a feasible option for the newborn with galactosemia, because there is no oral enzyme replacement therapy available for this condition. The only treatment is dietary restriction of galactose.
Correct Answer is D
Explanation
Choice A reason:
Fetal heart rate irregularities are not a sign of hydatidiform mole, as this condition involves an abnormal fertilization of the egg that results in an abnormal or absent fetus.
Choice B reason:
A hydatidiform mole is more commonly associated with dark brown to bright red vaginal bleeding, not whitish discharge. The bleeding may resemble prune juice and is often a sign of the abnormality.
Choice C reason:
Rapidly dropping human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) levels are not a sign of hydatidiform mole, as this condition causes very high levels of hCG due to the proliferation of trophoblastic tissue.
Choice D reason:
In a hydatidiform mole, the uterus often enlarges more rapidly than expected for the gestational age due to the overgrowth of trophoblastic tissue and the accumulation of fluid-filled vesicles. This excessive uterine enlargement is a key sign that could indicate the presence of a molar pregnancy.
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