A nurse is performing an abdominal assessment as part of a client’s comprehensive physical examination. Which of the following is the final step the nurse should perform?

Choice A reason: Cheyne-Stokes respirations, alternating hyperventilation and apnea, indicate neurological dysfunction or end-of-life changes in brain tumor patients, not pain. This reflects brainstem involvement, requiring respiratory management rather than analgesics, as it is a physiological response to disease progression in palliative care.
Choice B reason: Mottled skin signals poor perfusion or impending death, common in palliative care as circulation declines. It is not a pain indicator but a sign of systemic shutdown, requiring comfort measures like warmth, not analgesics, which are irrelevant to this physiological change in terminal illness.
Choice C reason: Constricted pupils may reflect opioid effects or neurological changes in brain tumor patients but do not directly indicate pain. They suggest autonomic or brainstem dysfunction, necessitating neurological assessment, not immediate pain medication, in palliative care where comfort is prioritized based on clear pain cues.
Choice D reason: Grimacing indicates pain in palliative care patients with brain tumors, reflecting physical discomfort. As a facial expression of distress, it signals the need for analgesics to improve comfort and quality of life, aligning with palliative goals to manage pain effectively in end-stage disease.

Choice A reason: Frequent nosebleeds are not linked to coarctation of the aorta, a congenital aortic narrowing. They may result from hypertension or nasal issues, but coarctation causes differential blood pressure, with high upper body pressure, not nasal vasculature changes, making this an unrelated finding.
Choice B reason: Weak femoral pulses are expected in coarctation of the aorta, as the narrowing restricts blood flow to the lower extremities. This creates a pressure gradient, with stronger upper body pulses, detectable in infants, guiding diagnosis and management of this cardiovascular defect.
Choice C reason: Increased intracranial pressure is not associated with coarctation, which affects cardiovascular dynamics, not cranial pressure. It may occur in neurological conditions, but coarctation’s primary effect is hypertension above the narrowing, not brain-related changes, making this an irrelevant finding in this context.
Choice D reason: Upper extremity hypotension is incorrect, as coarctation causes hypertension in the upper extremities due to restricted aortic flow. Blood pressure is higher above the narrowing, with strong brachial pulses, while lower extremities experience reduced flow, opposite to hypotension in the upper body.