Med Surg Chapter 44 (Biliary Disorders)
When caring for a client with acute pancreatitis, the nurse should use which comfort measure?
Positioning the client on the side with the knees flexed The nurse should place the client with acute pancreatitis in a side-lying position with knees flexed; this position promotes comfort by decreasing pressure on the abdominal muscles. The nurse should administer an analgesic, as needed and ordered, before pain becomes severe, rather than once each shift. Because the client needs a quiet, restful environment during the acute disease stage, the nurse should discourage frequent visits from family and friends. Frequent oral feedings are contraindicated during the acute stage to allow the pancreas to rest.
A client being treated for pancreatitis faces the risk of atelectasis. Which of the following interventions would be important to implement to minimize this risk? Monitor pulse oximetry every hour. Withhold oral feedings for the client. Instruct the client to avoid coughing. Reposition the client every 2 hours.
Reposition the client every 2 hours. Repositioning the client every 2 hours minimizes the risk of atelectasis in a client who is being treated for pancreatitis. The client should be instructed to cough every 2 hours to reduce atelectasis. Monitoring the pulse oximetry helps show changes in respiratory status and promote early intervention, but it would do little to minimize the risk of atelectasis. Withholding oral feedings limits the reflux of bile and duodenal contents into the pancreatic duct.
A client comes to the ED with severe abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. The physician plans to rule out acute pancreatitis. The nurse would expect the diagnosis to be confirmed by an elevated result on which laboratory test? Serum calcium Serum bilirubin Serum amylase Serum potassium
Serum amylase Serum amylase and lipase concentrations are used to make the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis. Serum amylase and lipase concentrations are elevated within 24 hours of the onset of symptoms. Serum amylase usually returns to normal within 48 to 72 hours, but the serum lipase concentration may remain elevated for a longer period, often days longer than amylase. Urinary amylase concentrations also become elevated and remain elevated longer than serum amylase concentrations.
The nursing student has just reviewed material in the course textbook regarding pancreatitis. The student knows that a major symptom of pancreatitis that causes the client to seek medical care is:
Severe abdominal pain The pain of acute pancreatitis is often very severe, necessitating the liberal use of analgesics. Jaundice is indicative of a bile duct obstruction. Fever and mental agitation are not indicative of pancreatitis.
A client who is 24 hours post op from laparoscopic cholecystectomy calls the nurse and reports pain in the right shoulder. How should the nurse respond to the client's report of symptoms?
"Apply a heating pad to your shoulder for 15 minutes hourly as needed." Pain in the right shoulder may occur after laparoscopic cholecystectomy due to migration of the carbon dioxide used to insufflate the abdominal cavity during the procedure. The nurse should instruct the client to apply a heating pad to the shoulder for 15 to 20 minutes every hour as needed for pain relief. The nurse should not instruct the client to take analgesic medication-this is a medical order performed by the health care provider only. This scenario is not life threatening and the client does not need to go to the emergency department. It is also not necessary for the client to place the shoulder in a sling as this is not an injury-related condition.
A client is evaluated for severe pain in the right upper abdominal quadrant, which is accompanied by nausea and vomiting. The physician diagnoses acute cholecystitis and cholelithiasis. For this client, which nursing diagnosis takes top priority? Deficient knowledge related to prevention of disease recurrence Imbalanced nutrition: Less than body requirements related to biliary inflammation Anxiety related to unknown outcome of hospitalization Acute pain related to biliary spasms
Acute pain related to biliary spasms The chief symptom of cholecystitis is abdominal pain or biliary colic. Typically, the pain is so severe that the client is restless and changes positions frequently to find relief. Therefore, the nursing diagnosis of Acute pain related to biliary spasms takes highest priority. Until the acute pain is relieved, the client can't learn about prevention, may continue to experience anxiety, and can't address nutritional concerns.
The nurse is planning care for a client following an incisional cholecystectomy for cholelithiasis. Which intervention is the highest nursing priority for this client? Assisting the client to turn, cough, and deep breathe every 2 hours Teaching the client to choose low-fat foods from the menu Performing range-of-motion (ROM) leg exercises hourly while the client is awake Assisting the client to ambulate the evening of the operative day
Assisting the client to turn, cough, and deep breathe every 2 hours Assessment should focus on the client's respiratory status. If a traditional surgical approach is planned, the high abdominal incision required during surgery may interfere with full respiratory excursion. The other nursing actions are also important, but are not as high a priority as ensuring adequate ventilation.
Which foods should be avoided following acute gallbladder inflammation? Mashed potatoes Cheese Coffee Cooked fruits
Cheese The client should avoid eggs, cream, pork, fried foods, cheese, rich dressings, gas-forming vegetables, and alcohol. It is important to remind the client that fatty foods may induce an episode of cholecystitis. Cooked fruits, rice or tapioca, lean meats, mashed potatoes, non-gas-forming vegetables, bread, coffee, or tea may be consumed as tolerated.
A very ill client with acute cholecystitis is scheduled for surgery. The surgeon plans to create an incision in the common bile duct to remove stones. The nurse correctly documents this surgery in the electronic medical record using which term?
Choledochostomy This procedure is reserved for the client with acute cholecystitis who may be too ill to undergo a surgical procedure. It involves making an incision in the common duct, usually to remove stones
A client with calculi in the gallbladder is said to have Cholecystitis Cholelithiasis Choledocholithiasis Choledochotomy
Cholelithiasis Calculi, or gallstones, usually form in the gallbladder from the solid constituents of bile; they vary greatly in size, shape, and composition. Cholecystitis is acute inflammation of the gallbladder. Choledocholithiasis is a gallstone in the common bile duct. Choledochotomy is an incision into the common bile duct.
Which condition in a client with pancreatitis makes it necessary for the nurse to check fluid intake and output, check hourly urine output, and monitor electrolyte levels?
Frequent vomiting, leading to loss of fluid volume Fluid and electrolyte disturbances are common complications because of nausea, vomiting, movement of fluid from the vascular compartment to the peritoneal cavity, diaphoresis, fever, and the use of gastric suction. The nurse assesses the client's fluid and electrolyte status by noting skin turgor and moistness of mucous membranes. The nurse weighs the client daily and carefully measures fluid intake and output, including urine output, nasogastric secretions, and diarrhea.
A 70-year-old client is admitted with acute pancreatitis. The nurse understands that the mortality rate associated with acute pancreatitis increases with advanced age and attributes this to which gerontologic consideration associated with the pancreas?
Decreases in the physiologic function of major organs Acute pancreatitis affects people of all ages, but the mortality rate associated with acute pancreatitis increases with advancing age. The pattern of complications changes with age. Younger clients tend to develop local complications; the incidence of multiple organ failure increases with age, possibly as a result of progressive decreases in physiologic function of major organs with increasing age.
Increased appetite and thirst may indicate that a client with chronic pancreatitis has developed diabetes mellitus. Which of the following explains the cause of this secondary diabetes? Dysfunction of the pancreatic islet cells Ingestion of foods high in sugar Inability for the liver to reabsorb serum glucose Renal failure
Dysfunction of the pancreatic islet cells Diabetes mellitus resulting from dysfunction of the pancreatic islet cells is treated with diet, insulin, or oral antidiabetic agents. The hazard of severe hypoglycemia with alcohol consumption is stressed to the client and family. When secondary diabetes develops in a client with chronic pancreatitis, the client experiences increased appetite, thirst, and urination. A standard treatment with pancreatitis is to make the client NPO. The dysfunction is related to the pancreas, not the liver.
A client is admitted to the healthcare facility suspected of having acute pancreatitis and undergoes laboratory testing. Which of the following would the nurse expect to find? Decreased liver enzyme levels Increased serum calcium levels Decreased white blood cell count Elevated urine amylase levels
Elevated urine amylase levels Elevated serum and urine amylase, lipase, and liver enzyme levels accompany significant pancreatitis. If the common bile duct is obstructed, the bilirubin level is above normal. Blood glucose levels and white blood cell counts can be elevated. Serum electrolyte levels (calcium, potassium, and magnesium) are low.
A client with suspected biliary obstruction due to gallstones reports changes to the color of his stools. Which stool color does the nurse recognize as common to biliary obstruction? Green Red Gray Black
Gray A gray-white stool color is common with a biliary obstruction because the stool is no longer colored with bile pigments.
A client is scheduled for a cholecystogram for later in the day. What is the nurse's understanding on the diagnostic use of this exam? It visualizes the gallbladder and bile duct. It visualizes the liver and pancreas. It shows the sizes of the abdominal organs and detects any masses. It visualizes the biliary structures and pancreas via endoscopy.
It visualizes the gallbladder and bile duct. The cholecystogram is a diagnostic imaging test used to visualize the gallbladder and bile duct. The celiac axis arteriography visualizes the liver and pancreas. Ultrasonography shows the sizes of the abdominal organs and detects any masses. The endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) visualizes the biliary structures and pancreas via endoscopy.
A client is admitted to the health care facility with abdominal pain, a low-grade fever, abdominal distention, and weight loss. The physician diagnoses acute pancreatitis. What is the primary goal of nursing care for this client? Relieving abdominal pain Maintaining adequate nutritional status Preventing fluid volume overload Teaching about the disease and its treatment
Relieving abdominal pain The predominant clinical feature of acute pancreatitis is abdominal pain, which usually reaches peak intensity several hours after onset of the illness. Therefore, relieving abdominal pain is the nurse's primary goal. Because acute pancreatitis causes nausea and vomiting, the nurse should try to prevent fluid volume deficit, not overload. The nurse can't help the client achieve adequate nutrition or understand the disease and its treatment until the client is comfortable and no longer in pain.
The nurse should assess for an important early indicator of acute pancreatitis, which is a prolonged and elevated level of: Serum bilirubin Serum calcium Serum amylase Serum lipase
Serum lipase Serum amylase and lipase levels are elevated within 24 hours of the onset of symptoms. Serum amylase usually returns to normal within 48 to 72 hours, but serum lipase levels may remain elevated days longer than amylase.
The physician has written the following orders for a new client admitted with pancreatitis: bed rest, nothing by mouth (NPO), and administration of total parenteral nutrition (TPN) . Which does the nurse attribute as the reason for NPO status?
To avoid inflammation of the pancreas Pancreatic secretion is increased by food and fluid intake and may cause inflammation of the pancreas.
The nurse is caring for a patient with acute pancreatitis. The patient has an order for an anticholinergic medication. The nurse explains that the patient will be receiving that medication for what reason?
To reduce gastric and pancreatic secretions Anticholinergic medications reduce gastric and pancreatic secretion.
The nurse is caring for a patient with acute pancreatitis. The patient has an order for an anticholinergic medication. The nurse explains that the patient will be receiving that medication for what reason? To decrease metabolism To depress the central nervous system and increase the pain threshold To reduce gastric and pancreatic secretions To relieve nausea and vomiting
To reduce gastric and pancreatic secretions Anticholinergic medications reduce gastric and pancreatic secretion.
A client with chronic pancreatitis is treated for uncontrolled pain. Which complication does the nurse recognize is most common in the client with chronic pancreatitis? Weight loss Diarrhea Fatigue Hypertension
Weight loss Weight loss is most common in the client with chronic pancreatitis due to decreased dietary intake secondary to anorexia or fear that eating will precipitate another attack. The other answer choices are not the most common complications related to chronic pancreatitis.
Total parental nutrition (TPN) should be used cautiously in clients with pancreatitis because such clients: are at risk for gallbladder contraction. can digest high-fat foods. cannot tolerate high-glucose concentration. are at risk for hepatic encephalopathy.
cannot tolerate high-glucose concentration. Total parental nutrition (TPN) is used carefully in clients with pancreatitis because some clients cannot tolerate a high-glucose concentration even with insulin coverage. Intake of coffee increases the risk for gallbladder contraction, whereas intake of high protein increases risk for hepatic encephalopathy in clients with cirrhosis. Patients with pancreatitis should not be given high-fat foods because they are difficult to digest.
A client with cholelithiasis has a gallstone lodged in the common bile duct. When assessing this client, the nurse expects to note: light amber urine. yellow sclerae. black, tarry stools. circumoral pallor.
yellow sclerae. Yellow sclerae are an early sign of jaundice, which occurs when the common bile duct is obstructed. Urine normally is light amber. Circumoral pallor and black, tarry stools don't occur in common bile duct obstruction; they are signs of hypoxia and GI bleeding, respectively.
