A nurse is caring for a client who has sustained a severe head trauma and has significant bleeding from the nose. Which of the following actions should the nurse take first?
Establish a patent airway
Prepare for a CT scan
Insert a peripheral IV line
Apply direct pressure to the nose.
The Correct Answer is A
Rationale:
A. Establish a patent airway: Severe head trauma with active nasal bleeding raises concern for airway obstruction from blood pooling, impaired consciousness, or loss of protective reflexes. Ensuring a patent airway prevents hypoxia, which can rapidly worsen neurologic injury. Early airway control is the priority because compromised breathing poses an immediate threat to life
B. Prepare for a CT scan: A CT scan is essential for diagnosing intracranial injuries, fractures, and sources of bleeding, but the client must first have a stable airway and adequate oxygenation. Imaging cannot safely proceed until airway patency is confirmed, since deterioration during transport is a major risk.
C. Insert a peripheral IV line: IV access is necessary for fluid resuscitation and medication administration, but it is not the most urgent action when airway compromise is suspected. The risk of hypoxia outweighs the risk of delayed IV access, and airway management must occur before secondary stabilization steps. Once the airway is secured, IV access can be safely done.
D. Apply direct pressure to the nose: Direct pressure is generally used to control epistaxis, but in severe head trauma, nasal bleeding may indicate a basilar skull fracture, and pressure could worsen underlying injury or dislodge clots. Additionally, controlling bleeding is secondary to securing the airway, as blood flow can interfere with breathing.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is D
Explanation
Rationale:
A. Decreased inflammation: Furosemide is a loop diuretic that reduces fluid volume by promoting diuresis. While reducing edema may decrease swelling, “decreased inflammation” is not the primary measure of effectiveness for furosemide, as inflammation involves cellular processes rather than fluid removal.
B. Increased blood pressure: Furosemide typically lowers blood pressure by reducing circulating fluid volume. An increase in blood pressure would suggest the medication is not effective or another underlying issue is present, so this is not an expected finding.
C. Decreased pain: Pain reduction may occur indirectly if edema is relieved, but it is not a direct indicator of furosemide’s effectiveness. Pain levels are subjective and can be influenced by multiple factors, making this a less reliable measure.
D. Weight loss: A reduction in body weight reflects fluid loss, which is the primary therapeutic effect of furosemide. Monitoring daily weights is a standard and objective way to evaluate the effectiveness of diuretic therapy in clients with fluid volume excess.
Correct Answer is {"dropdown-group-1":"A","dropdown-group-2":"A"}
Explanation
Rationale for Correct Choices
- Endometritis: This uterine infection is common after cesarean delivery, especially with prolonged rupture of membranes. The client’s uterine tenderness, elevated fundus, boggy consistency, and foul-smelling lochia are hallmark signs of endometritis, making it the most likely diagnosis.
- Uterus and lochia: The presence of a tender uterus that is elevated above the umbilicus and only firms with massage, combined with dark, malodorous lochia, strongly suggests infection of the uterine lining. These findings point specifically to endometritis rather than general postpartum changes.
Rationale for Incorrect Choices
- Mastitis: Although the client reports heavy, warm breasts with nipple discomfort, there is no breast erythema, localized swelling, or high-grade fever typical of mastitis. These symptoms are likely due to engorgement related to lactation rather than infection.
- Pneumonia: The client’s respiratory assessment shows clear lungs with only slight basal changes common postoperatively. There are no signs of cough, sputum production, hypoxia, or respiratory distress, which makes pneumonia an unlikely cause of her symptoms.
- Fever: A temperature of 38.2°C is above normal, but mild postpartum fever can have various causes, including engorgement, dehydration, or early infection. Fever alone is not specific enough to confirm a diagnosis without targeted findings.
- WBC count: Although an elevated WBC of 33,000/mm³ raises concern, postpartum leukocytosis can be physiologic or related to many infections. It is not diagnostic of endometritis without more specific correlating signs like uterine tenderness and abnormal lochia.
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