Chapter 44

A nursing instructor tells the class that review of oral hygiene is an important component during assessment of the gastrointestinal system. One of the students questions this statement. Which of the following explanations from the nurse educator is most appropriate?

"Injury to oral mucosa or tooth decay can lead to difficulty in chewing food."

A patient asks the nurse why the physician ordered the blood test carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). The nurse answers:

"It indicates if a cancer is present."

A nurse assesses the abdomen of a newly admitted client. Which finding would necessitate further investigation?

Asymmetrical upper quadrants

Which of the following is considered the gold standard for the diagnosis of liver disease?

Biopsy

A client comes into the emergency department with complaints of abdominal pain. Which of the following should the nurse ask first?

Characteristics and duration of pain

A client is scheduled for several diagnostic tests to evaluate her gastrointestinal function. After teaching the client about these tests, the nurse determines that the client has understood the teaching when she identifies which test as not requiring the use of a contrast medium?

Colonoscopy

A 50-year-old woman is scheduled to have an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. Which of the following structures are visualized during this procedure?

Common bile duct, pancreatic duct, and biliary tree

During assessment of a patient complaining of dyspepsia, the nurse is aware that abdominal pain associated with indigestion is usually which of the following?

Described as cramping or burning

The nurse is investigating a patient's complaint of pain in the duodenal area. Where should the nurse perform the assessment?

Epigastric area and consider possible radiation of pain to the right subscapular region

Which of the following is the major carbohydrate that tissue cells use as fuel?

Glucose

One or two bowel sounds in 2 minutes would be documented as which of the following?

Hypoactive

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

Increased motility of the stomach

Which of the following terms describes a gastric secretion that combines with vitamin B12 so that it can be absorbed?

Intrinsic factor

After 20 seconds of auscultating for bowel sounds on a client recovering from abdominal surgery, the nurse hears nothing. Which of the following should the nurse do based on the assessment findings?

Listen longer for the sounds

While palpating a client's right upper quadrant (RUQ), the nurse would expect to find which structure?

Liver

What part of the GI tract begins the digestion of food?

Mouth

The nurse is assisting the physician with a gastric acid stimulation test for a patient. What medication should the nurse prepare to administer subcutaneously to stimulate gastric secretions?

Pentagastrin

Which of the following is an enzyme secreted by the gastric mucosa?

Pepsin

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

A patient tells the nurse that his stool was colored yellow. The nurse assesses for which of the following?

Recent foods ingested

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

Red

The nurse is instructing the client who was newly diagnosed with peptic ulcers. Which of the following diagnostic studies would the nurse anticipate reviewing with the client?

Serum antibodies for H. Pylori

The nurse is answering questions regarding fecal matter for a client who is scheduled for a colon resection. The client is asking questions regarding the composition of the fecal matter and when it becomes a formed mass. The nurse is most correct to state at which location?

Sigmoid colon

The nurse is providing care to a client who has had a percutaneous liver biopsy. The nurse would monitor the client for which of the following?

Signs and symptoms of bleeding

After teaching a group of students about the various organs of the upper gastrointestinal tract and possible disorders, the instructor determines that the teaching was successful when the students identify which of the following structures as possibly being affected?

Stomach

The nurse is assisting the physician in a percutaneous liver biopsy. In which position would the nurse assist the client to assume?

Supine position

The patient is describing to the nurse a test that he underwent to detect a small bowel obstruction prior to admission to the hospital. The patient states that the test involved insertion of a tube through the nose and lasted over 6 hours. The nurse documents the name of the test as which of the following?

Upper GI enteroclysis

Which of the following is an age-related change of the GI system?

Weakened gag reflex