| Question | Answer |
| Due to decreased blood flow caused by an upper gastrointestinal bleed, what is an expected finding particularly with adults? | Acute confusion |
| If a patient is taking magnesium sulfate, they have the potential to experience what effect to their blood pressure? | Hypotension |
| What kind of respiratory effects can magnesium sulfate have on a patient? | Respiratory depression |
| Facial flushing, somnolence and decreased deep tendon reflexes are side effects we might see in a patient taking what? | magnesium sulfate |
| If a patient has frontal lobe damage associated with a cerebrovascular accident, what kind of behavior might we see? | Emotional lability such as laughing and crying for no apparent reason. |
| What would damage to the parietal lobe cause? | Deficits in cognition and spatial orientation. |
| Damage to the temporal lobe will cause what condition? | Receptive aphasia, known as Wernicke's aphasia. |
| What will damage to the occipital lobe cause? | This can result in visual disturbances. |
| If a postoperative patient has not voided 8 hours post surgery, what is the first action a nurse would take? | Perform a bladder scan. |
| What kind of respirations will the patient with hypokalemia have? | Shallow respirations |
| A positive Trousseaus's sign indicates altered levels of what? | Calcium |
| Deep tendon reflexes are used to monitor altered levels of what? | magnesium |
| Why might we find hypoactive bowel sounds in a patient with hypokalemia? | Hypokalemia decreases smooth muscle contraction in the GI tract, leading to decreased peristalsis. |
| What could slurred speech in a patient who is post cardiac catheterizaion indicate? | A cerebrovascular accident which is a known life threatening complication of the procedure. |
| What are the signs of an allergic reaction to a blood product? | Hives, itching, and flushing. Antihistamines are administered for this type of transfusion reaction. |
| Dypnea, jugular vein distention, and restlessness during a blood transfusion are common manifestations of what? | circulatory overload |
| How would circulatory overload caused by a blood transfusion be corrected? | By slowing down the infusion rate. |
| What color should we expect gastrointestinal secretions to be? | yellow-green |
| This condition may develop during or after hemodialysis and is due to a rapid decrease in the fluid volume and BUN levels during dialysis. | Disequalibrium Syndrome |
| What is important to remember about arterial lines and antibiotics? | Arterial lines are not an appropriate access for administering antibiotics. |
| What are arterial lines used for? | Repeated ABG samples and monitoring hemodynamic pressures. |
| In a patient with a chest tube, what happens to the tidaling when the client's lung has re-expanded? | The tidaling ceases. |
| If nitroglycerin and Viagra are taken together, what could this cause? | Both medications cause vasodilation and they could lead to hypotension if taken together. |
| What is amylase? | A digestive enzyme in the pancreas. |
| A decreased aPTT is an indicator of what? | coagulation |
| Patients with this condition involving the eyes may see bright lights and the sensation of a curtain being pulled over part of their field of vision. | A detached retina. |
| For the patient who is receiving anticoagulant therapy, what is petechiae indicative of? | It is an indicator of bleeding which is a complication with anticoagulant therapy. |
| When changing out the IV administration set for a patient who has a nontunneled percutaneous catheter (Triple Lumen),what action do we take to prevent an air embolus? | Have the patient hold their breath and bear down to prevent air from traveling in to the lumen of the catheter. |
| What might an increase in HR 25 above the baseline indicate in a patient with systemic lupus erthythematosis? | It might indicate pericarditis with is a serious manifestation of SLE. |
| How often should the needle be changed in an insulin pump? | At least every days. |
| What kind of insulin do insulin pumps use? | Rapid or short acting insulin. |
| If a person reports to the ER with chest pains, what is the FIRST thing we as nurses should do? | Apply oxygen |
| Fluid wave is a test for what condition? | ascites |
| What happens to the PaO2 in hypovolemic shock? | It decreases because perfusion decreases. |
| A urine specific gravity of more than 0.030 indicates a decrease in volume and an increase in osmolarity, what type of dehydration is this a sign of? | hypertonic dehydration |
| Severe hypertension with a widened pulse pressure and bradycardia indicates what? | Cushing Reflex |
| What type of drug should be used to decrease fluid accumulate in the lungs? | Diuretics decrease systemic and pulmonary congestion. |
| What kind of a medication is Plavix? | antiplatelet |
| What type of a medication is Lipitor? | Cholesterol lowering medication. |
| What effect do Beta-adrenergic blocking agents like Atenolol (Tenormin) have on the cardiac workload? | They decrease it,and may increase fluid to the lungs due to decreased contractility. |
| What might reports of a headache and back pain within the first 5 minutes of a patient receiving PRBC's indicate? | This might indicate a hemolytic reaction and the infusion should be turned off. |
| What medication would be used to treat malignant hyperthermia? | Dantrolene sodium which is a skeletal muscle relaxant. |
| What type of bacilli would a patient with tuberculosis be positive for? | Acid fast bacilli. |
| If a patient has an ICD, what should they remember about traveling? | They need to inform airports that they have one because metal detectors can affect the function of an ICD. |
| After a thorathentisis, why should a patient take deep breaths? | To help reexpand the lung. |
| For a patient receiving chemotherapy, what would be an indicator to watch for to detect thrombocytopenia? | Occult blood in the stools. |
| What is the normal range for sodium? | 135-145 |
| What is the normal range for HcO3 | |
| What is the normal range for PaO2 | |
| When a patient is under conscious sedation what does snoring indicate? | Snoring indicates a partial airway obstruction. |
| ARe Kussmaul respirations an indicator of hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia? | hyperglycemia |
| When suctioning the pressure should not exceed what setting? | 120 mmHg |
