While assessing the legs of an adult client, the nurse observes leathery-looking skin. The client reports aching, tired legs that swell if standing for long periods of time. To screen for venous insufficiency, the nurse should ask the client if they have experienced which subjective finding?
Deep, continuous pain in the calf muscles.
Painful symptoms alleviated by warmth.
Cool, pale skin below the knees.
Decreased pain when legs are elevated.
The Correct Answer is D
A. Deep, continuous pain in the calf muscles:
Deep, continuous pain in the calf muscles is more indicative of conditions such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT) rather than venous insufficiency.
B. Painful symptoms alleviated by warmth:
Painful symptoms alleviated by warmth are more characteristic of arterial insufficiency, such as in peripheral arterial disease (PAD), rather than venous insufficiency.
C. Cool, pale skin below the knees:
Cool, pale skin below the knees is also more suggestive of arterial insufficiency rather than venous insufficiency. Arterial insufficiency often presents with decreased blood flow to the extremities, resulting in coolness and pallor.
D. Decreased pain when legs are elevated:
This is the correct answer. Venous insufficiency typically results in symptoms such as aching, tired legs, and swelling, which worsen with prolonged standing but improve with leg elevation. This is due to the reduction in venous pressure when the legs are elevated, which helps alleviate symptoms associated with venous congestion and stasis.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is B
Explanation
A) Ask the client if he knows the year he married his wife:
While this question may assess long-term memory, it relies on specific episodic memory of a past event. Assessing recent memory loss typically involves evaluating the ability to recall recent events or information.
B) Determine if the client can recall what he ate for breakfast:
Assessing the client's ability to recall recent events, such as what he ate for breakfast, can provide valuable information about recent memory function. This assessment is relevant to the family's concerns about recent memory loss.
C) Instruct the client to follow a three-step task:
Assessing the client's ability to follow a three-step task evaluates executive function and working memory but may not directly assess recent memory loss, which is the family's concern.
D) Tell the client to repeat a series of unrelated numbers:
Assessing the client's ability to repeat a series of unrelated numbers tests short-term memory but does not specifically address recent memory loss or the family's concerns about it.
Correct Answer is B
Explanation
Answer: B. Cardiac enlargement.
Rationale:
A) Cardiac atrophy:
Cardiac atrophy refers to the reduction in the size of the heart muscles and is not typically detected through percussion. It would present differently, likely through imaging or echocardiography, rather than an increase in the area of dullness during percussion.
B) Cardiac enlargement:
Percussion revealing dullness extending from the 5th left intercostal space upward to the 2nd left intercostal space suggests an increase in the size of the heart. This pattern indicates cardiac enlargement, as the heart’s borders have extended beyond their typical boundaries, which are usually confined to the 5th left intercostal space along the midclavicular line.
C) Benign variation:
A benign variation would not typically cause such a significant change in the area of cardiac dullness. This finding is more concerning for pathology, such as cardiomegaly, than a harmless variation.
D) Expected finding:
The normal borders of the heart should not extend upward to the 2nd left intercostal space during percussion. This finding is not within normal limits and suggests an abnormal enlargement of the heart, rather than an expected physiological outcome.
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