Porth's Ch 18 Somatosensory Function, Pain, and Headache

Stretch-sensitive receptors in the skin (Ruffini end organs, Pacinian corpuscles, and Merkel cells) help signal postural information and are processed through the:

Dorsal column-medial lemniscus pathway

Which principles should underlie the pain control strategy in the care of a child with a diagnosis of cancer?

Dosing and timing should aim for a steady serum level of the prescribed drug.

The nurse knows that chronic pain lacks which of the characteristic pain-related reactions?

Increased heart rate

A client asks if pain threshold and pain tolerance are the same. The best response by the health care provider would be:

"Pain threshold is the point at which a stimulus is perceived as painful."

A nurse who is testing a patient's response to passive movement of the fingers with the patient's eyes closed, notes that the patient cannot accurately identify on which side the movement occurred or in what position the finger was placed. Which of the following is an appropriate interpretation of this result?

Abnormal discrimination pathway function

The nurse is caring for a client who has returned from surgery after having a colon resection. What is the best method for the nurse to use when administering an opioid for pain in order to optimize pain control?

Administer the opioid preemptively and before pain becomes extreme.

When conducting a health assessment that focuses on the pain experienced by an older client diagnosed with early dementia, the nurse will pay particular attention to which of the following?

Behavioral signs of pain demonstrated by the clien

The nurse on the pediatric unit is implementing distraction strategies for a child who is experiencing pain. Which strategies would be best for the nurse to implement? Select all that apply.

Bubbles Music Television Games

What will the nurse teach a patient with trigeminal neuralgia about the condition?

Carbamazepine is a first-line treatment.

In assessing a client with a cerebral infarct for sensation, which results would a nurse find that would indicate that third-order neurons are intact?

Identifying a scent

In contrast to acute pain, persistent chronic pain indicates which purpose?

Imposes physiologic stresses

Select the tactile receptors that are sensitive to the movement of very light objects over the surface of the skin.

Meissner corpuscles

A client on an acute medicine unit with a diagnosis of small bowel obstruction is reporting intense, diffuse abdominal pain. Which physiologic phenomenon is most likely contributing to the client's pain?

Nociceptive afferents are conducting along the cranial and spinal nerve pathways of the ANS

Which statement is true of migraine headaches?

Migraines may have a hormonal etiology in some clients.

Which of the following patients is exhibiting headache symptoms that indicate a need for further evaluation?

Pregnant mother with drowsiness and unrelenting headache

A client is experiencing chest pain that radiates to the left arm and neck. The nurse would interpret this pain as:

Referred

A nurse is teaching a client with a history of migraines about methods to control attacks. Which instructions should the client implement when the migraine starts? Select all that apply.

Resting in a darkened quiet room Taking aspirin or an NSAID with caffeine Using intranasal medications if nauseated

A client is experiencing a cluster headache. The client would most likely manifest:

Severe pain behind the eye

A client has recently been diagnosed with chronic back pain that requires the daily use of hydromorphone, an opioid analgesic. For the first few weeks, the client achieved relief with 4 mg every 6 hours. However, the client now requires 6 mg doses to achieve the same effect. How should the nurse best interpret this phenomenon?

The client is developing opioid tolerance, which is expected

Children feel pain just as much as adults do. What is the major principle in pain management in the pediatric population?

Treat on individual basis and match analgesic agent with cause and level of pain.

Which pain disorder is a manifestation of a disruption of cranial nerve function?

Trigeminal neuralgia

A client is admitted to the acute care facility with severe pain in the abdomen related to inflammatory bowel disease. What type of pain will the nurse be administering medication to relieve?

Visceral pain

A client with a history of migraine headaches tells the physician that he or she usually experiences an aura before the onset of the headache. The client is most likely experiencing:

Visual disturbances