Which complication(s) may occur due to a spinal cord injury? (Select all that apply)
Joint contractures
Blood clots
Autonomic dysreflexia
Polyuria
Osteoarthritis
Constipation
Correct Answer : A,B,C,F
Choice A reason: Spinal cord injury causes immobility, leading to joint contractures as muscles shorten without movement. Lack of joint motion causes fibrosis, reducing flexibility, making this a correct complication of spinal cord injury.
Choice B reason: Blood clots (deep vein thrombosis) occur in spinal cord injury due to immobility, causing venous stasis. This promotes clot formation, increasing embolism risk, making this a correct complication of spinal cord injury.
Choice C reason: Autonomic dysreflexia is a life-threatening complication in spinal cord injury, particularly above T6, due to unopposed sympathetic responses to stimuli, causing hypertension, making this a correct complication.
Choice D reason: Polyuria is not typical; spinal cord injury often causes urinary retention due to impaired bladder innervation. Neurogenic bladder leads to incomplete emptying, not excessive urine, making this incorrect.
Choice E reason: Osteoarthritis is not directly caused by spinal cord injury. It results from joint wear, not neurological impairment. Immobility may cause other joint issues, but not osteoarthritis, making this incorrect.
Choice F reason: Constipation is common in spinal cord injury due to impaired autonomic control of bowel motility. Reduced peristalsis and immobility slow transit, making this a correct complication of spinal cord injury.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is D
Explanation
Choice A reason: A metabolic deficit of dystrophin causing muscle cell necrosis describes muscular dystrophy, not osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis involves joint cartilage degradation, not muscle pathology. Dystrophin deficiency affects muscle fiber integrity, unrelated to the joint-specific degenerative process of osteoarthritis, making this choice incorrect.
Choice B reason: Bone infection, or osteomyelitis, is caused by bacteria or fungi, leading to bone destruction. Osteoarthritis is a non-infectious degenerative condition affecting cartilage and subchondral bone due to mechanical stress and aging, not infection, making this choice incorrect for osteoarthritis’s pathophysiology.
Choice C reason: Loss of bone matrix causing fragile bones describes osteoporosis, not osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis primarily involves cartilage breakdown and joint inflammation, with secondary bone changes like osteophytes, not systemic bone density loss, making this choice incorrect for the joint-focused pathology.
Choice D reason: Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease characterized by progressive cartilage loss due to mechanical stress, inflammation, and aging. This leads to joint pain, stiffness, and bone remodeling, such as osteophyte formation, accurately describing the pathophysiology and making this the correct choice.
Correct Answer is {"A":{"answers":"A"},"B":{"answers":"B"},"C":{"answers":"B"},"D":{"answers":"A"},"E":{"answers":"B"},"F":{"answers":"B"}}
Explanation
A. Hernia causes mechanical bowel obstruction by physically trapping or compressing the intestine, preventing content passage. This aligns with the patient’s hernia, creating a structural blockage consistent with clinical findings.
B. Hypokalemia leads to functional bowel obstruction by disrupting intestinal motility through electrolyte imbalances, impairing muscle contractions without physical blockage. This matches the patient’s hypokalemia, exacerbating adynamic ileus.
C. Anesthesia from surgery causes functional bowel obstruction by slowing intestinal peristalsis, often resulting in postoperative ileus. This aligns with the patient’s recent anesthesia exposure, disrupting coordinated muscle contractions.
D. Intestinal tumor results in mechanical bowel obstruction by physically blocking or compressing the intestinal lumen, impeding content flow. The patient’s tumor aligns with this mechanism, a common cause of mechanical obstruction.
E. Pancreatitis contributes to functional bowel obstruction by causing inflammation or retroperitoneal irritation, leading to adynamic ileus without physical blockage. This matches the patient’s pancreatitis, disrupting intestinal motility.
F. Adhesions cause mechanical bowel obstruction by forming fibrous bands that kink or compress the intestine, blocking content passage. The patient’s adhesion history aligns with this, a leading cause of small bowel obstruction
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