Chap. 44 - Assessment of Digestive and Gastrointestinal Function

A home care nurse is caring for a client with complaints of epigastric discomfort who is scheduled for a barium swallow. Which statement by the client indicates an understanding of the test?

"I'll avoid eating or drinking anything 6 to 8 hours before the test." The client demonstrates understanding of a barium swallow when he states that he must refrain from eating or drinking for 6 to 8 hours before the test. No other preparation is needed. Before a lower GI series, the client should eat a low-residue or clear liquid diet for 2 days and take a potent laxative and an oral liquid preparation.

The nurse is caring for a client recovering from an esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD). Which of the following client symptoms would require further nursing assessment?

Abdominal distention The nurse is correct to fully assess the client experiencing abdominal distention following an esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD). Abdominal distention could indicate complications such as perforation and bleeding. The client experiences drowsiness from the sedative during the early recovery process and a sore throat from passage of the scope. The client may also experience thirst because the client has not had liquids for a period of time. (16-25) (1197-1343)

Which of the following is the primary function of the small intestine?

Absorption Absorption is the primary function of the small intestine. Digestion occurs in the stomach. Peristalsis occurs in the colon. The duodenum secretes enzymes. (6-10) (1197-1203)

The major carbohydrate that tissue cells use as fuel is?

Glucose Glucose is the major carbohydrate that tissue cells use as fuel. Proteins are a source of energy after they are broken down into amino acids and peptides. Chyme stays in the small intestine for 3 to 6 hours, allowing for continued breakdown and absorption of nutrients. Ingested fats become monoglycerides and fatty acids by the process of emulsification.

Gastrin has which of the following effects on gastrointestinal (GI) motility?

Increased motility of the stomach Gastrin has the following effects on GI motility: increased motility of the stomach, excitation of the colon, relaxation of ileocecal sphincter, and contraction of the gastroesophageal sphincter.

When examining the abdomen of a client with complaints of nausea and vomiting, which of the following would the nurse do first?

Inspection When assessing the abdomen, the nurse would first inspect or observe the abdomen. This would be followed by auscultation, percussion, and lastly, palpation.

The nurse is caring for a client who is scheduled for a percutaneous liver biopsy. Which diagnostic test is obtained prior?

Prothrombin time (PT) The client must have coagulation studies before the procedure such as a PT or PTT because a major complication after a liver biopsy is bleeding. Clients at risk for serious bleeding may receive precautionary vitamin K. A complete blood count and blood chemistry may be completed for baseline values. Typically, an ESR is not associated with the procedure.

Which of the following digestive enzymes aids in the digesting of starch?

Amylase Digestive enzymes secreted by the pancreas include trypsin, which aids in digesting protein; amylase, which aids in digesting starch; and lipase, which aids in digesting fats. Bile is secreted by the liver and is not considered a digestive enzyme.

The nurse prepares a client for a barium enema. The nurse should place the client on which diet prior to the procedure?

Clear liquids day before The nurse should place the client on clear liquids the evening before the procedure, a low-residue diet 1 to 2 days before the test, and NPO at midnight in preparation for the barium enema.

Following ingestion of carrots or beets, the nurse would expect which alteration in stool color?

Red Carrots or beets will tend to change the stool color to red. Black stools are associated with iron, licorice, and charcoal. Senna is associated with yellow stools. A milky white stool is associated with administration of barium.

The nurse asks a client to point to where she feels pain. The client asks why this is important. The nurse's best response would be which of the following?

"Often the area of pain is referred from another area." Pain can be a major symptom of disease. The location and distribution of pain can be referred from a different area. If a client points to an area of pain and has other symptoms associated with a certain disease, this is valuable information for treatment.

The nurse is to obtain a stool specimen from a client who reported that he is taking iron supplements. The nurse would expect the stool to be which color?

Black Ingestion of iron can cause the stool to turn black. Meat protein causes stool to appear dark brown. Ingestion of large amounts of spinach may turn stool green while ingestion of carrots and beets may cause stool to turn red.

During a colonoscopy with moderate sedation, the patient groans with obvious discomfort and begins bleeding from the rectum. The patient is diaphoretic and has an increase in abdominal girth from distention. What complication of this procedure is the nurse aware may be occurring?

Bowel perforation Immediately after the test, the patient is monitored for signs and symptoms of bowel perforation (e.g., rectal bleeding, abdominal pain or distention, fever, focal peritoneal signs). (11-15) (1199-1210)

A client is scheduled for an esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) to detect lesions in the gastrointestinal tract. The nurse would observe for which of the following while assessing the client during the procedure?

Client's tolerance for pain and discomfort The nurse has to assess the client's tolerance for pain and discomfort during the procedure. The nurse should assess the signs of perforation and the gag reflex after the procedure of EGD and not during the procedure. Assessing the client's level for retaining barium is important for a diagnostic test that involves the use of barium. EGD does not involve the use of barium.

A nurse is preparing a client with Crohn's disease for a barium enema. What should the nurse do the day before the test?

Encourage plenty of fluids. The nurse should encourage plenty of fluids because adequate fluid intake is necessary to avoid dehydration that may be caused by the bowel preparation and to prevent fecal impaction after the procedure. The client may be placed on a low-residue diet 1 to 2 days before the procedure to reduce the contents in the GI tract. Fiber intake is limited in a low-residue diet. Because dairy products leave a residue, they aren't allowed the evening before the test. Clear liquids only are allowed the evening before the test.

The nurse prepares to administer the lavage solution to a client having a colostomy completed. The nurse stops and notifies the physician when noting that the client has which condition?

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD/IBS) The nurse stops administering the lavage solution and notifies the physician when the nurse notes that the client has inflammatory bowel disease. Another contraindication for use of lavage solution is intestinal obstruction. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), congestive heart failure, and pulmonary hypertension are not contraindications to administration of lavage solution in preparation for a colonoscopy. (1-5-1198-1210)

A client undergoing a diagnostic examination for gastrointestinal disorder was given polyethylene glycol/electrolyte solution as a part of the test preparation. Which of the following measures should the nurse take once the solution is administered?

Permit the client to drink only clear liquids. After polyethylene glycol/electrolyte solution is administered, the client should have clear liquids as this ensures watery stools, which are necessary for procedures like a barium enema. Allowing the client to ingest a fat-free meal is used in preparation for oral cholecystography. Instructing the client to have low-residue meals is a pretest procedure for barium enema. A client is offered saline gargles after esophagogastroduodenoscopy.

Specific disease processes and ingestion of certain foods and medications may change the appearance of the stool. If blood is shed in sufficient quantities into the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract, it produces which change in the stool appearance?

Tarry-black If the blood is shed in sufficient quantities into the upper GI tract, it produces a tarry-black color, whereas blood entering the lower portion of the GI tract or passing rapidly though will cause the stool to appear bright or dark red. Lower rectal or anal bleeding is suspected if there is streaking of the blood on the surface of the stool or if blood is noted on toilet tissue. Stool is normally light or dark brown.

The nurse is providing instructions to a patient scheduled for a gastroscopy. What should the nurse be sure to include in the instructions? (Select all that apply.)

The patient must fast for 8 hours before the examination. The throat will be sprayed with a local anesthetic. After gastroscopy, the patient cannot eat or drink until the gag reflex returns (1 to 2 hours). The patient should be NPO for 8 hours prior to the examination. Before the introduction of the endoscope, the patient is given a local anesthetic gargle or spray. Midazolam (Versed), a sedative that provides moderate sedation with loss of the gag reflex and relieves anxiety during the procedure, is administered. Temporary loss of the gag reflex is expected; after the patient's gag reflex has returned, lozenges, saline gargle, and oral analgesic agents may be offered to relieve minor throat discomfort.

A client is to have an upper GI procedure with barium ingestion and abdominal ultrasonography. While scheduling these diagnostic tests, the nurse must consider which factor?

The ultrasonography should be scheduled before the GI procedure. Both an upper GI procedure with barium ingestion and an ultrasonography may be completed on the same day. The ultrasonography test should be completed first, because the barium solution could interfere with the transmission of the sound waves. The ultrasonography test uses sound waves that are passed into internal body structures, and the echoes are recorded as they strike tissues. Fluid in the abdomen prevents transmission of ultrasound.

Which term describes a gastric secretion that combines with vitamin B12 so that it can be absorbed?

Intrinsic Factor Intrinsic factor, secreted by the gastric mucosa, combines with dietary vitamin B12 so that the vitamin can be absorbed in the ileum. In the absence of intrinsic factor, vitamin B12 cannot be absorbed and pernicious anemia results. Amylase is an enzyme that aids in the digestion of starch. Pepsin, an important enzyme for protein digestion, is the end product of the conversion of pepsinogen from the chief cells. Digestive enzymes secreted by the pancreas include trypsin, which aids in digesting protein.

A nurse is teaching a client with malabsorption syndrome about the disorder and its treatment. The client asks which part of the GI tract absorbs food. The nurse tells the client that products of digestion are absorbed mainly in the:

small intestine. Explanation: Small Intestine The small intestine absorbs products of digestion, completes food digestion, and secretes hormones that help control the secretion of bile, pancreatic juice, and intestinal secretions. The stomach stores, mixes, and liquefies the food bolus into chyme and controls food passage into the duodenum; it doesn't absorb products of digestion. Although the large intestine completes the absorption of water, chloride, and sodium, it plays no part in absorbing food. The rectum is the portion of the large intestine that forms and expels feces from the body; its functions don't include absorption.