A nurse is caring for a client who is undergoing an oxytocin-stimulated contraction stress test (CST).
The nurse observes three contractions in 10 minutes with no late decelerations of the fetal heart rate (FHR).
Which of the following actions should the nurse take?
Discontinue oxytocin infusion and monitor the client for another 10 minutes
Increase oxytocin infusion and monitor the client until four contractions occur in 10 minutes
Stop oxytocin infusion and notify the provider of a positive CST result
Maintain oxytocin infusion and monitor the client until a negative CST result is confirmed
The Correct Answer is D
Maintain oxytocin infusion and monitor the client until a negative CST result is confirmed.
A negative CST result means that there are no late decelerations of the FHR after three contractions in 10 minutes. This indicates that the fetus can tolerate the stress of labor and has adequate oxygenation.
Choice A is wrong because discontinuing oxytocin infusion and monitoring the client for another 10 minutes will not provide enough information about the fetal response to contractions. The test requires at least three contractions in 10 minutes to be valid.
Choice B is wrong because increasing oxytocin infusion and monitoring the client until four contractions occur in 10 minutes may cause uterine hyperstimulation, which can compromise fetal oxygenation and lead to fetal distress.
Choice C is wrong because stopping oxytocin infusion and notifying the provider of a positive CST result is not appropriate. A positive CST result means that there are late decelerations of the FHR after more than half of the contractions, indicating fetal hypoxia and placental insufficiency.
In this case, there are no late decelerations, so the test result is not positive.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is C
Explanation
Category III.This category of FHR tracing represents an abnormal pattern that is predictive of fetal acidemia and requires prompt evaluation and intervention.A category III pattern is defined by any of the following criteria:
• Absent baseline FHR variability and any of the following:
➤ Recurrent late decelerations
➤ Recurrent variable decelerations
➤ Bradycardia
• Sinusoidal pattern
Choice A is wrong because category I is a normal pattern that is predictive of normal fetal acid-base balance at the time of observation.A category I pattern is defined by all of the following criteria:
• Baseline rate of 110 to 160 bpm
• Moderate baseline FHR variability
• No late or variable decelerations
• Early decelerations may be present or absent
• Accelerations may be present or absent
Choice B is wrong because category II is an indeterminate pattern that is not predictive of abnormal fetal acid-base balance but requires continued surveillance and reevaluation.A category II pattern includes all FHR tracings that are not category I or III.
Choice D is wrong because there is no category IV in the NICHD classification system for FHR tracings.

Correct Answer is ["A","B","C","D"]
Explanation
The correct answer is choice A, B, C and D.These are the four components of a biophysical profile (BPP) that are scored as 2 (normal) or 0 (abnormal) based on ultrasound examination.The fifth component is the nonstress test (NST) that measures the fetal heart rate reactivity.A total score of 8 or 10 is normal, 6 is equivocal, and 4 or less is abnormal.
Choice E is wrong because fetal position is not a part of the BPP score.Fetal position is determined by ultrasound but it does not affect the score.

Normal ranges for each component are:
• Fetal breathing movement: One or more episodes of fetal breathing lasting at least 30 seconds within 30 minutes.
• Fetal tone: One or more episodes of active extension and flexion of a fetal extremity or opening and closing of the hand within 30 minutes.
• Reactive fetal heart rate: Two or more fetal heart rate accelerations that peak at least 15 beats per minute above the baseline and last at least 15 seconds from baseline to baseline during 20 minutes of observation.
• Amniotic fluid volume: A single deepest vertical pocket of amniotic fluid that measures at least 2 centimeters.
• Gross body movement: Three or more discrete body or limb movements within 30 minutes.
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