A nurse caring for a client with hepatitis is providing education to the client about portal hypertension. Which of the following will the nurse include in the teaching?

Choice A reason: This is the correct answer because portal hypertension means that there is high blood pressure in the portal vein, which carries blood from the digestive organs to the liver. When the liver is damaged by hepatitis, it becomes scarred and obstructs the blood flow, causing increased pressure in the portal vein. This leads to fluid accumulation in the abdomen, called ascites, which causes abdominal swelling.

Choice B reason: This is incorrect because portal hypertension is not caused by the heart overworking but by liver damage. The heart does not pump blood into the portal vein, but into the hepatic artery, which supplies oxygenated blood to the liver.

Choice C reason: This is incorrect because portal hypertension does not develop when cirrhosis begins to resolve, but when it progresses. Cirrhosis is a chronic condition that causes irreversible scarring of the liver tissue, which worsens over time and increases portal hypertension.

Choice D reason: This is incorrect because eating high-sodium foods and a stressful lifestyle do not cause portal hypertension, but they can aggravate it. High-sodium foods can increase fluid retention and worsen ascites, while stress can increase blood pressure and worsen bleeding complications. The nurse should advise the client to limit sodium intake and manage stress levels.

Choice A Reason: The burned area is yellow in color with severe edema is not a finding of a deep partial-thickness burn, but a superficial partial-thickness burn. A superficial partial-thickness burn involves the epidermis and the upper layer of the dermis, causing pain, redness, swelling, and blistering.

Choice B Reason: The burned area is black in color and pain is absent is not a finding of a deep partial-thickness burn, but a full-thickness burn. A full-thickness burn involves the epidermis, dermis, and underlying tissues, causing necrosis, charred skin, and loss of sensation.

Choice C Reason:This description aligns with a superficial partial-thickness (first-degree or mild second-degree) burn rather than a deep partial-thickness burn. Superficial partial-thickness burns involve the epidermis and the upper portion of the dermis. These burns appear pink or red, often accompanied by moisture and blister formation due to fluid leakage from damaged capillaries. They are painful because nerve endings remain intact. Healing occurs within 10 to 21 days without significant scarring.

Choice D Reason:Deep partial-thickness burns extend deeper into the dermis, damaging a larger portion of skin structures, including sweat glands and hair follicles. These burns typically appear red or white and may have a soft eschar (dead tissue), which differentiates them from more superficial burns that do not develop eschar. Unlike full-thickness burns, nerve endings remain partially intact, so the patient may still experience some pain. These burns take more than 21 days to heal and often require skin grafting to prevent complications such as contractures or hypertrophic scarring.