The client, who is a 15-pack-year cigarette smoker, has painful fingers and toes and is diagnosed with Buerger’s disease. Which measure to prevent disease progression should be the nurse’s initial focus when teaching the client?
Avoid exposure to cold temperatures
Maintain meticulous hygiene
Follow a low-saturated fat diet
Abstain from all tobacco products
The Correct Answer is D
Choice A reason: Avoiding cold temperatures prevents vasospasm in Buerger’s disease but is secondary to tobacco cessation, the primary driver of disease progression. Cold exacerbates symptoms, but smoking causes the underlying inflammation and thrombosis, making this a less critical initial focus for teaching.
Choice B reason: Meticulous hygiene prevents infection in ischemic tissues but does not address the primary cause of Buerger’s disease progression, which is tobacco use. Hygiene is supportive but secondary, making this an incorrect initial focus compared to eliminating the disease’s main trigger.
Choice C reason: A low-saturated fat diet reduces atherosclerosis risk but is not the primary intervention for Buerger’s disease, which is driven by tobacco-induced inflammation and thrombosis. While beneficial for cardiovascular health, it is secondary to smoking cessation, making this an incorrect initial teaching focus.
Choice D reason: Abstaining from tobacco is the primary intervention for Buerger’s disease, as smoking causes inflammatory thrombosis, leading to vessel occlusion and ischemia. Cessation halts disease progression, reducing pain and tissue damage, making this the nurse’s initial focus to effectively manage and prevent worsening of the condition.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is B
Explanation
Choice A reason: Not going barefoot is correct for peripheral vascular disease, as it protects feet from injury, especially with reduced sensation or circulation. This statement reflects understanding, as preventing trauma reduces infection risk and supports tissue integrity, requiring no further teaching for this aspect of care.
Choice B reason: Wearing stockings with elastic tops is incorrect for peripheral vascular disease, as tight elastic can restrict blood flow, worsening ischemia or edema. Compression stockings, if prescribed, must be properly fitted. This statement indicates a need for further teaching to ensure appropriate management of circulation.
Choice C reason: Using a thermometer to check bath water temperature is correct, as peripheral vascular disease reduces sensation, increasing burn risk. This statement reflects understanding of safety measures to protect skin integrity, requiring no further teaching, as it aligns with preventing thermal injury in affected limbs.
Choice D reason: Avoiding crossing legs at the knees is correct, as it prevents compression of blood vessels, maintaining circulation in peripheral vascular disease. This statement shows understanding of proper positioning to avoid ischemia, requiring no further teaching, as it supports optimal blood flow management.
Correct Answer is C
Explanation
Choice A reason: Atherosclerosis, driven by high cholesterol, causes arterial plaque but is distinct from Buerger’s disease, which involves inflammation and thrombosis of small vessels. While atherosclerosis may coexist, smoking is the primary cause of Buerger’s, making this an incorrect choice, as it does not directly trigger the disease’s vasculopathy.
Choice B reason: Buerger’s disease predominantly affects males, not females, and is strongly linked to tobacco use, not gender predisposition. Female predisposition is incorrect, as the disease’s inflammatory vasculopathy is driven by smoking, not sex, making this an inaccurate cause for thromboangiitis obliterans.
Choice C reason: Smoking tobacco is the primary cause of Buerger’s disease, triggering inflammatory thrombosis of small and medium vessels, leading to ischemia. Nicotine and toxins cause endothelial damage and hypercoagulability, characteristic of this condition, making this the correct cause, as cessation often halts disease progression.
Choice D reason: While Buerger’s involves an immune component, the primary cause is tobacco use, not a standalone immune response causing thromboembolism. Inflammation follows smoking-induced damage, not spontaneous thromboembolism, making this incorrect, as smoking is the initiating factor in Buerger’s disease’s pathophysiology.
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