chapter 44
The young boy has fractured his left leg and has had a cast applied. The nurse educates the boy and his parents prior to discharge from the hospital. The parents should call the physician when which incidents occur? Select all that apply.
The boy has had a fever of greater than 102° F (38.9°C) for the last 36 hours. New drainage is seeping out from under the cast. The boy's toes are light blue and very swollen.
A nurse is teaching the parents of a boy with a neurogenic bladder about clean intermittent catheterization. Which response indicates a need for further teaching?
The very first step is to apply water-based lubricant to the catheter."
The nurse is caring for a 3-year-old boy with a fracture of the humerus. His chart indicates "fracture is partially through the physis extending into the metaphysis." The nurse identifies this as which Salter-Harris classification?
Type II
The nurse is caring for a 10-year-old boy who plays on two soccer teams. He practices four days a week and his team travels to tournaments once a month. He has been diagnosed with a stress fracture in one of his vertebrae. Which instruction is most important to emphasize to the boy and his parents?
You and your coaches need to understand that you cannot play soccer for at least six weeks."
The nurse is caring for an 8-month-old infant in Bryant traction for developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) and is monitoring for complications. Which assessment finding most concerns the nurse?
a weak pedal pulse
Muscular dystrophy is a result of which cause?
gene mutation
An infant with a femur fracture is placed in Bryant traction. What would the nurse include in the infant's plan of care?
keeping the buttocks slightly elevated.
The nurse caring for a client with suspected muscular dystrophy would prepare her client for which diagnostic test?
muscle biopsy
A nurse is performing a physical examination of a child with a suspected fracture. Which assessment technique would the nurse assume would not be used?
Auscultation
The nurse is assessing a child with spina bifida occulta. During the assessment, the parents say, "It's going to be so difficult taking care of our child. He'll never be able to walk." The nurse identifies which nursing diagnosis as the priority?
Deficient knowledge related to diagnosis and condition
Which nursing diagnosis will the nurse prepare for the infant who is placed prone to protect the myelomeningocele repair site?
Risk for impaired skin integrity
When assessing a child who has recently had a cast removed from the arm, the child states that the elbow is sore and it hurts to move it. What is the appropriate action by the nurse?
Tell the child that this is normal and will get better as the child moves the elbow
The nurse is caring for an infant with myelomeningocele prior to having repair surgery. What nursing intervention(s) is necessary to include in this infant's plan of care? Select all that apply.
positioning of paralyzed legs to prevent contractures protecting knees and elbows from skin breakdown keeping the skin clean and dry
The nurse is conducting a physical examination of a 9-month-old infant with a suspected neuromuscular disorder. Which finding would warrant further evaluation?
presence of Moro reflex
Which diagnostic measure is most accurate in detecting neural tube defects?
significant level of alpha-fetoprotein present in amniotic fluid
In understanding the development of the musculoskeletal system, the nurse recognizes that what is implanted in a gel-like substance during fetal life?
Cartilage
The nurse is caring for a newborn with facial nerve palsy from birth trauma. The mother is very upset and concerned about the child's prognosis. Which response by the nurse would be mostappropriate?
"In most cases treatment is not necessary, only observation."
A 7-year-old child diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) uses a wheelchair for mobility. The child's parent tells the nurse "I want my child to participate in activities with peers but I am so concerned about my child's health." Which comment(s) is appropriate for the nurse to make? Select all that apply.
"Wheelchair team sports might be something your child would enjoy." "Encourage your child to remain active but to also take time to rest."
The nurse is taking the history of a 4-year-old boy. His mother mentions that he seems weaker and unable to keep up with his 6-year-old sister on the playground. Which question should the nurse ask to elicit the most helpful information?
"Would you please describe the weakness you are seeing in your son?"
A nurse is providing care to a child diagnosed with cerebral palsy who is experiencing painful muscle spasms. The health care provider has prescribed baclofen 40 mg/day PO in three divided doses. How many milligrams should the nurse administer in each dose? Record your answer using one decimal place.
13.3
The nurse is discussing treatment for a child diagnosed with scoliosis. Which statement indicates the parents understand the nurse's education?
Because our child is being treated by using braces, the braces will have to be worn almost all the time."
A child is born with clubfoot (congenital talipes equinovarus). The child later receives a cast on the affected leg to correct the problem. Which measure should the nurse mention to the mother to ensure good circulation in the affected leg?
Check the infant's toes for coldness or blueness.
The nurse is working with a group of caregivers of school-aged children discussing fractures. The nurse explains that if the fragments of fractured bone are separated, the fracture is said to be:
Complete
The nurse caring for an infant with myelomeningocele before surgical intervention will prioritize care in what way?
Cover the sac with a saline-moistened dressing.
The nurse is observing a 3-year-old boy who is sitting and playing in the waiting area of his pediatrician's office. The nurse calls the boy and his mother back for the boy's appointment. The boy rolls onto his stomach and pushes himself to his knees. Then he presses his hands against his ankles, knees, and thighs, walking up the front of his body, to stand. Which condition should the nurse suspect in this client?
Duchenne muscular dystrophy
The nurse is working with a 6-year-old child recently diagnosed with Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease. The child's parents tells the nurse they understand exercise is important for their child but are not sure which activities are appropriate. Which activity will the nurse recommend for this client?
Swimming
After teaching a group of students about medications commonly used for neuromuscular disorders, the nursing instructor determines that the teaching was successful when the students identify which agent as a centrally acting skeletal muscle relaxant?
bacoflen
The nurse is caring for an 11-year-old presenting with tenderness in the shoulder. He is the pitcher for his baseball team and reports shoulder pain with active internal rotation but is able to continue past the pain with full range of motion. Based on these reported symptoms, the nurse is aware that the disorder is most likely to be:
epiphysiolysis of the proximal humerus.
The nurse is caring for a child with rickets. Which diagnostic test result would the nurse expect to find in the child's medical record?
low serum calcium levels
A nurse is reviewing the medical record of a child who has sustained a fracture. Documentation reveals a bowing deformity. The nurse interprets this fracture as:
significant bending without actual breaking.
The charge nurse is observing a student nurse perform skeletal traction pin care. What action by the student nurse would indicate a need for intervention by the charge nurse?
unhooking a weight while providing pin care
A nurse is speaking with the parents of a child scheduled for a bone scan. Which statement by a parent indicates a need for further education?
"Before the test, my child will drink a special liquid that will be absorbed into her bones."
The young child is experiencing muscle spasms and has been given lorazepam. Which statements by the child indicate that the child may be experiencing some common side effects? Select all that apply.
"I feel sort of dizzy." "I need to take a nap."
An adolescent client who has scoliosis and is wearing a Milwaukee brace tells the nurse that she is ugly and cannot wear the same clothing as her friends. Which response by the nurse bestaddresses this client's altered self-image?
"Let's look at some clothing that you can wear with the brace that will look like everyone else's clothes but cover it."
A nurse is providing care to parents whose infant has been diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type 1. The parents ask the nurse to explain what this diagnosis means for their child long term. Which statement should the nurse include in the explanation?
Muscular wasting results in generalized immobility and difficulty feeding and breathing.
The nurse is caring for a child who had a cast on his lower leg placed two hours ago. When assessing the child's foot, the nurse notes that the toes are cool and the child reports extreme pain. What is the best action by the nurse?
Notify the health care provider of the findings immediately.
A group of students is reviewing information about the skeletal development in children. The students demonstrate understanding of the information when they identify that ossification is complete by what age?
adolescence
Through which mechanism is Duchenne muscular dystrophy acquired?
heredity
A nurse is preparing a plan of care for an infant who has undergone surgery to repair a myelomeningocele. The nurse would include placing the infant in which positions postoperatively? Select all that apply.
prone right side lying left side lying
An adolescent wears a body brace for scoliosis. Which client education should the nurse provide?
to continue with age-appropriate activities
The nurse is speaking with the parents of a child who has a cast. The parents state that the child reports itching in the area of the cast. What is the best response by the nurse?
"Blowing cool air with a fan or hair dryer may relieve the feeling."
The parents of a infant born with an abnormality on the back are told by the neonatologist that their child has a myelomeningocele. They ask the nurse what exactly that means. Which would be the nurse's best reply?
"It is a herniation through the skin of the back of your child with both the spinal cord and nerve roots involved."
A nurse has provided care to several children during their well-child visits. The nurse has assessed each child's neurologic status. Which assessment finding indicates a problem requiring intervention?
A 4-year-old preschool-age child who consistently walks on tip toes
Why will it be necessary for the nurse to be very supportive of parents' attempts to feed the infant with recently repaired myelomeningocele?
Assuming the usual feeding position will be difficult.
The nurse is assessing a child and notes S-shaped curvature of the spine. What terminology would the nurse use when documenting this assessment finding?
idiopathic scoliosis
The nurse is caring for a child diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy and notes the presence of a Gower sign on the assessment form. What action by the child would support this assessment?
when on the floor, rising to the knees and pressing the hands against the ankles, knees, and thighs to stand
An adolescent with scoliosis is refusing to wear the prescribed body brace. Which instruction is best to progress the adolescent to the treatment goals?
"It is important to wear the brace now to stabilize your spinal alignment, decreasing your symptoms."
The nurse is caring for a group of children on the pediatric unit. The nurse should collect further data and explore the possibility of child abuse in which situation?
A 7-year-old with a spiral fracture of the humerus, which the caregiver reports as having been caused when the child was hit by a bat swung by a Little League teammate.
A parent calls the clinic nurse to say the child has shin splints after playing soccer. What instructions should the nurse provide this parent?
"Applying ice to the area will reduce the pain and swelling."
The nurse has been teaching the parents of a child diagnosed with osteogenesis imperfecta about the use of bisphosphonates for this condition. What statement by a parent indicates a need for further education?
"This medication will cure my child of this disorder."
The nurse is conducting a physical examination of a 10-year-old boy with a suspected neuromuscular disorder. Which finding is a sign of Duchenne muscular dystrophy?
Gowers sign
The nurse is discussing types of treatment used when working with children who have orthopedic disorders. Which form of treatment covers the lower part of the body, usually from the waist down, and either one or both legs while leaving the feet open?
Spica cast
In caring for a child in traction, which intervention is the highest priority for the nurse?
The nurse should monitor for decreased circulation every 4 hours.
