A nurse is monitoring a client who is taking captopril and has developed swelling of the lips and tongue. Which of the following actions should the nurse plan to take to manage this adverse medication reaction?

A) Place the client on his right side if tube resistance occurs: Positioning the client on the right side can help facilitate gastric emptying, but it is not a primary action to ensure NG tube patency. If tube resistance occurs, the nurse should assess and address the resistance more directly.

B) Check the tube patency every 4 hr: Regularly checking the tube patency ensures that the NG tube remains open and functional, preventing blockages and ensuring continuous decompression or feeding as required.

C) Flush the tube with 50 mL of 0.9% sodium chloride irrigation every 8 hr: Flushing the tube helps maintain patency, but the amount and frequency may vary based on facility protocols. Flushing every 8 hours might not be frequent enough to prevent blockages.

D) Maintain the client in a supine position: Keeping the client in a supine position is not recommended for maintaining NG tube patency and may increase the risk of aspiration. A semi-Fowler's position is usually preferred to promote drainage and reduce aspiration risk.

A) High-pitched bowel sounds: High-pitched bowel sounds, also known as "tinkling" sounds, are characteristic of mechanical bowel obstructions. These sounds are created by the intestines as they try to move contents past the obstruction, resulting in increased peristaltic activity. In the case of intussusception, where one segment of the intestine telescopes into another, the obstruction can cause these distinctive high-pitched sounds due to the narrowing of the bowel lumen.

B) Abdominal bruit: An abdominal bruit is a swishing sound heard over the abdomen, usually indicating turbulent blood flow through narrowed arteries. It is commonly associated with vascular conditions such as atherosclerosis or renal artery stenosis. It is not related to bowel obstruction, as bowel sounds in obstruction cases are generally due to changes in peristaltic activity rather than blood flow.

C) Bruising on the flank area: Bruising on the flank area, known as Grey Turner's sign, is typically seen in conditions involving retroperitoneal hemorrhage, such as severe pancreatitis or trauma. It is not a symptom of bowel obstruction. Bowel obstruction symptoms generally relate to the gastrointestinal tract and include abdominal pain, distension, and altered bowel sounds.

D) Coffee-ground emesis: Coffee-ground emesis is vomit that appears like coffee grounds, indicating the presence of partially digested blood. This is a sign of upper gastrointestinal bleeding, often due to peptic ulcers or gastritis. In mechanical bowel obstruction, vomiting is more likely to contain bile (bilious vomiting) and may occur if the obstruction is high in the small intestine. The appearance of coffee-ground emesis is not typical for bowel obstructions and indicates a different type of gastrointestinal issue.