A nurse is caring for a client who suspects recent exposure to inhalation anthrax. Which of the following findings indicate possible exposure?
Vesicles on the skin
Respiratory failure
Sloughing of skin
Flu-like symptoms
None
None
The Correct Answer is D
Choice A reason: Vesicles on the skin are not typical of inhalation anthrax; instead, they are more associated with cutaneous anthrax, which presents as papules that progress to vesicles and then black eschars.
Choice B reason: Respiratory failure can occur later in the course of inhalation anthrax, but it is not an early finding. It usually develops after the initial phase of nonspecific symptoms when the illness progresses to severe respiratory distress and shock.
Choice C reason: Sloughing of skin is not characteristic of inhalation anthrax. Similar to vesicles, skin sloughing may be associated with severe cutaneous infections or other dermatologic conditions, not the respiratory form of anthrax.
Choice D reason: Flu-like symptoms, such as fever, cough, malaise, muscle aches, and mild chest discomfort, are the initial and most indicative early findings of inhalation anthrax. These nonspecific symptoms often appear within several days after exposure before progressing to severe respiratory compromise.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is C
Explanation
Choice A Reason: This is incorrect because shortening of P-wave duration is not a sign of hyperkalemia or its reversal.
P-wave duration reflects the time it takes for the atria to depolarize and contract.
Choice B Reason: This is incorrect because restoration of QRS complex amplitude is not a sign of hyperkalemia or its reversal. QRS complex amplitude reflects the voltage or strength of the ventricular depolarization and contraction.
Choice C Reason: This is correct because the reduction of T-wave amplitude is a sign of hyperkalemia reversal. T-wave amplitude reflects the repolarization or recovery of the ventricles after contraction. Polystyrene sulfonate is a medication that lowers the serum potassium level by binding to it in the gastrointestinal tract and excreting it in the stool. High serum potassium level, or hyperkalemia, can cause cardiac arrhythmias and ECG changes, such as peaked T waves, prolonged PR interval, flatened P waves, widened QRS complex, and ventricular fibrillation. By lowering the serum potassium level, polystyrene sulfonate can reverse these ECG changes and normalize the cardiac rhythm.
Choice D Reason: This is incorrect because the widening of the QRS complex is a sign of hyperkalemia, not its reversal. Widening of the QRS complex reflects the delay or impairment of ventricular depolarization and contraction.
Correct Answer is D
Explanation
The correct answer is D. Blood pressure 115/68 mm Hg.
Choice A reason: Heart rate 180/min is incorrect because, although an increased heart rate is a compensatory mechanism, a rate of 180/min is excessively high and suggests a more severe stage of shock or other cardiac issues.
Choice B reason: Mottled skin is incorrect as it indicates poor perfusion seen in decompensated shock, where organ dysfunction begins to manifest, not in the compensatory stage.
Choice C reason: Hypokalemia, or low potassium levels, is incorrect because electrolyte imbalances are not typically a finding in the compensatory stage of shock. Normal potassium levels range from 3.5 to 5.0 mEq/L.
Choice D reason: Blood pressure 115/68 mm Hg is correct because it falls within the normal blood pressure range, which the body strives to maintain during the compensatory stage of shock through various mechanisms.
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