During a visit to the clinic, a patient complains that her legs feel heavy in the calf. The nurse assesses that the patient has dilated, tortuous veins apparent in her lower legs. Which condition is reflected by these findings?

Choice A reason: Inspection is the primary technique to further assess a raw, inflamed throat, allowing visualization of color, swelling, or lesions. This non-invasive method is appropriate, making it the correct choice for throat assessment.

Choice B reason: Palpation is inappropriate for a raw throat, as it may cause pain or spread infection. Inspection visually evaluates inflammation, so this is incorrect for further assessment.

Choice C reason: Percussion is used for chest or abdomen, not throat assessment. Visual inspection is needed for inflamed throat tissue, so this is incorrect for the technique required.

Choice D reason: Auscultation is for sounds (e.g., lungs), not visual throat changes. Inspection allows direct observation of inflammation, so this is incorrect for assessing throat condition.

Choice A reason: Absent bile pigment causes pale, clay-colored stools due to impaired bile flow from liver or gallbladder issues. Black stools suggest blood or medication effects, not bile absence, making this interpretation inconsistent with the patient’s soft, black stool description.

Choice B reason: Excessive fat in stools (steatorrhea) from malabsorption causes bulky, greasy, foul-smelling stools, typically pale or light-colored, not black. The patient’s black stools point to a different etiology, such as bleeding, making this an incorrect interpretation.

Choice C reason: Increased iron intake, such as from supplements, can cause black stools, but the patient denies medications. Dietary iron alone is unlikely to produce consistently black stools without supplementation, and stomach pain suggests a pathological cause, making this less likely.

Choice D reason: Soft, black stools (melena) typically indicate occult blood from gastrointestinal bleeding, often from the upper GI tract (e.g., stomach or duodenum). Stomach pain supports this, as bleeding from ulcers or gastritis can cause both symptoms, making this the correct interpretation.