Chapter 49: Hepatic Disorders

With acute ___________________, clients usually are very sick with fever, vomiting, tenderness over the liver, and severe pain called biliary colic.

Cholecysitis

A client comes to the clinic and informs the nurse that he is there to see the physician for right upper abdominal discomfort, nausea, and frequent belching especially after eating a meal high in fat. What disorder do these symptoms correlate with?

Cholelithiasis

When assessing a client with obstructive jaundice, which of the following stool characteristics is the client likely to report?

Clay colored or whitish

What test should the nurse prepare the client for that will locate stones that have collected in the common bile duct?

ERCP Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography

A client has an elevated serum ammonia concentration and is exhibiting changes in mental status. The nurse should suspect which condition?

Hepatic Encephalopathy

The nurse is administering medications to a client that has elevated ammonia due to cirrhosis of the liver. What medication will the nurse give to detoxify ammonium and to act as an osmotic agent?

Lactulose

Diet for Chronic Cholecysitis

Low Fat Diet

A client is actively bleeding from esophageal varices. Which medication would the nurse most expect to be administered to this client?

Octreotide

A nurse is assessing a postoperative client for hemorrhage. What responses associated with the compensatory stage of shock should be reported to the healthcare provider?

Tachycardia and Tachypnea

The largest source of ammonia is from:

The digestion of dietary and blood proteins

Which of the following liver function studies is used to show the size of abdominal organs and the presence of masses?

Ultrasonography

Which of the following diagnostic studies definitely confirms the presence of ascites?

Ultrasound of liver and abdomen

Which medication is used to decrease portal pressure, halting bleeding of esophageal varices?

Vasopressin

A client with carcinoma of the head of the pancreas is scheduled for surgery. Which of the following should a nurse administer to the client before surgery?

Vitamin K

Octreotide (Sandostatin)

causes selective splanchnic vasoconstriction by inhibiting glucagon release and is used mainly in the management of active hemorrhage.

A middle-aged obese female presents to the ED with severe radiating right-sided flank pain, nausea, vomiting, and fever. A likely cause of these symptoms is:

acute Cholecysitis

A patient is brought to the emergency department by ambulance. He has hematemesis and alteration in mental status. The patient has tachycardia, cool clammy skin, and hypotension. The patient has a history of alcohol abuse. What would the nurse suspect the patient has?

Bleeding esophageal varices

Lactulose

administered to detoxify ammonium and to act as an osmotic agent, drawing water into the bowel, which causes diarrhea in some clients.