Patho Exam 2

The most common cause of ischemic stroke is:

Thrombosis

A client is having difficulty with balance. The nurse understands that the area of the ear that impacts balance is:

Vestibular apparatus

The nurse on the cardiac unit has noted that the client's potassium level is 6.1 mEq/L. the nurse has notified the physician and removed the banana from the client's meal tray. When explaining the nursing actions to the client, which of these statements is appropriate?

"Your potassium level is high so I need you let me know if you feel numbness, tingling or weakness"

A baseball player was hit in the head with a bat during practice. In the emergency department, the physician tells the family that he has a "coup" injury. How will the nurse explain this to the family so they can understand?

"Your son has a contusion of the brain at the site where the bat hit his head."

The nurse is caring for the following group of clients. Select the client most likely to be diagnosed with respiratory alkalosis.

A 26-year-old female with anxiety who has been hyperventilating

A 22 year-old female college student is shocked to receive a diagnosis of myasthenia gravis. What is the etiology of her health problem?

A decline in functioning acetylcholine receptors

The nurse is caring for a client with an acid-base imbalance. Which of these does the nurse recognize is correct regarding compensation?

A pH moves toward the normal range

A 45 year-old woman with a diagnosis of shingles is experiencing an acute onset of severe neuropathic pain. Which stage of Selye's characterization of stress response is the woman most likely experiencing at the moment?

Alarm Stage

Global and focal brain injuries manifest differently. What is almost always a manifestation of a global brain injury?

Altered level of consciousness

A client has just been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). The nurse recognizes that the client's condition is a result of:

An immune-mediated response that is caused by the demyelinization of the myelin sheath of the white matter of the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerve

Following a collision while mountain biking, the diagnostic work up for a 22 year-old male has indicated the presence of an acute subdural hematoma. Which of the following pathophysiological processes most likely underlies his diagnosis?

Blood has accumulated between the man's dura and subarachnoid space

A client has sustained a severe, diffuse brain injury that resulted in seriously compromised brain function. The client is at greatest risk for:

Brain death

A soccer player has been diagnosed with a brain contusion after being injured in a game. The best explanation of the injury by the nurse would be that:

Bruising on the surface of the brain occurred

The nurse recognizes the role of the lungs in acid-base balance is regulation of which of the following?

CO2

Which of the following statements best conveys an aspect of the role of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)?

CSF cushions the brain and provides a near-water medium for diffusion of nutrients

A teenager, exposed to the West Nile virus a few weeks ago while camping with friends, is admitted with headache, fever, and nuchal rigidity. The teenager is also displaying some lethargy and disorientation. The nurse knows which of the following medical diagnoses listed below may be associated with these clinical manifestations?

Encephalitis

Selye suggested that stress could have positive influences on the body, and those periods of positive stress are called:

Eustress

A patient with diabetes mellitus has just undergone a right, below the knee amputation following gangrene infection. A few days post-op, the patient confides in the nurse that he still feels his right foot. Knowing the pathophysiologic principles behind this, the nurse can:

Explain that many amputees have this sensation and that one theory surmises the end of a regenerating nerve becomes trapped in the scar tissue of the amputation site

A client is brought to the emergency department with complaints of shortness of breath. Assessment reveals a full, bounding pulse, severe edema and audible crackles in lower lung fields bilaterally. The nurse notifies the physician to obtain orders for which of these problems?

Fluid volume excess

The chart of a client admitted because of seizures notes that the seizure activity began simultaneously in both cerebral hemispheres. The nurse should interpret this to mean that the client experienced:

Generalized seizure

The nursing student who is studying pathophysiology correctly identifies the condition that characteristically has an increase in the aqueous humor that fills the anterior and posterior chambers of the eye. What is this disease called?

Glaucoma

The nurse is caring for a client who has a tumor that results in excess levels of catecholamine's being released. Which assessments will the nurse prioritize in this clients plan of care? Select all that apply.

Heart rate and rhythm Blood glucose Blood pressure

A patient who has been awaiting the results of a bone marrow biopsy for several days is experiencing stress as a result of uncertainty and the possibility that abnormal cell growth may be detected. A physical examination and blood work would most likely yield which of the following results?

Increased blood pressure and heart rate; increased antidiuretic hormone (ADH).

During the assessment of a client with heart failure, the nurse uses finger pressure to determine if edema is present in the lower extremities. When would the nurse document pitting edema?

Indentation remains after the finger has been removed

A nurse on the post-surgical unit is providing care of a 76 year-old female client who is two days post-hemiarthroplasty (hop replacement) and who states that her pain has been out of control for the last several hours, though she is not exhibiting signs of pain. Which of the following guidelines should the nurse use for short-term and long-term treatment of the client's pain?

Knowing that the client's self-report of pain is the most reliable indicator of pain

The region of the brain involved in emotional experience and control of emotional behavior is the:

Limbic System

A 41 year-old woman diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) is sharing her story with members of a MS support group made up of people recently diagnosed. Which aspects of her health problem should the woman warn others to expect at some point in the progression of the disease. Select all that apply.

Loss of mental activity Debilitating fatigue Progressive loss of visual activity

The nurse is reviewing the following lab results of a client diagnosed with renal failure: pH 7.24 (7.35-7.45), PCO2 38mm Hg (35-45), HCO3 18 mEq/L (22-26). The nurse would interpret this as:

Metabolic Acidosis

A client's arterial blood gases reveal normal oxygen level. pH 7.50 (7.35-7.45), CO2 level of 50 (35-45) and HCO3 level of 30 (22-26). The patient's respiratory rate is 12 breaths per minute with all other vital signs within normal range. What is this client's most likely diagnosis.

Metabolic Alkalosis

The nurse is caring for a client with a longstanding diagnosis of hypocalcemia secondary to kidney disease. For which of the following clinical manifestations does the observe in this patient?

Muscular spasms and complaints of tingling in hands/feet.

What will conduct injurious stimuli to alert the body to potential damage?

Nociceptors

A client diagnosed with Parkinson disease is displaying the following manifestations: tremor, rigidity, and slowness of movement. The nurse would interpret these as:

Normal manifestations of parkinson disease

Which of the following motor disorders of sleep can be life threatening?

Obstructive apnea

The nurse at a long term facility encourages the older adults to drink even though they not feel thirsty at the time. Which of the following statements supports the nurse's action?

Older adults often experience a decrease in the sensation of thirst, even when serum sodium levels are high.

Pressure generated as water moves across a membrane is also known as which of the following?

Osmotic Pressure

After being thrown off the back of a bull, a bull rider can move their arms but has loss of motor function in the lumbar and sacral segments of the spinal cord. This is referred to as:

Paraplegia

What disease results from the degeneration of the dopamine nigrostriatal system of the basal ganglia?

Parkinson disease

The nurse suspects a spinal cord injury client is developing autonomic dysreflexia. Which assessment findings would confirm the development of this complication? Select all that apply.

Pulse rate 49 Complains of a pounding headache Skin covered with macular rash

A nurse at a long term care facility provides care for an 85 year-old man who has had recent transient ischemic attacks (TIAs). Which of the following statements best identifies future complications associated with TIAs? TIAs:

Resolve rapidly but may place the client at an increased risk for stroke

During surgery, the anesthesia personnel notice the patient is having a steady rise in their end-tidal carbon dioxide level. At this time the nurse anesthetist begins to assess the patient for malignant hyperthermia. The initial (priority) assessment for this disorder may include:

Skeletal muscle rigidity

The nurse is caring for a client who is experiencing an increased level of aldosterone secretion. The nurse anticipates that the client may develop:

Sodium and water retention

A student is feeling inside her backpack to find her mobile phone. There are a number of other items in the bag other than the phone. The nurse knows that which of the following best describes one's ability to sense of shape and size of an object in the absence of visualization?

Stereognosis

The nurse is aware that some drugs may be prevented from entering the brain as a function of:

The blood-brain barrier

What is the nurse's expectation about a client's ability to compensate for a metabolic blood gas disorder?

The client will compensate with the respiratory system.