Med Surg HESI Practice Questions

An 81-year-old male client has emphysema. He lives at home with his cat and manages self-care with no difficulty. When making a home visit, the nurse notices that his tongue is somewhat cracked and his eyeballs are sunken into his head. What nursing intervention is indicated? A) Help the client to determine ways to increase his fluid intake. B) Obtain an appointment for the client to see an ear, nose, and throat specialist. C) Schedule an appointment with an allergist to determine if the client is allergic to the cat. D) Encourage the client to slightly increase his use of oxygen at night and to always use humidified oxygen.

A) Help the client to determine ways to increase his fluid intake. The nurse should suggest creative methods to increase the intake of fluids (A), such as having disposable fruit juices readily available. Clients with COPD should have at least three liters of fluids a day. These clients often reduce fluid intake because of shortness of breath. (B) is not indicated. These symptoms are not indicative of an allergy (C). Many elderly depend on their pets for socialization and self-esteem. Humidified oxygen will not relieve these symptoms and increased oxygen levels will stifle the COPD client's trigger to breathe (D).

During assessment of a client with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which finding should the nurse identify when planning care for this client? A) Muscle weakness. B) Urinary frequency. C) Abnormal involuntary movements. D) A decline in cognitive function.

A) Muscle weakness. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is characterized by a degeneration of motor neurons in the brainstem and spinal cord and are manifested by muscle weakness (A) and wasting. ALS does not manifest (B and C). In ALS, the client remains cognitively intact, not (D), while the physical status deteriorates.

A client with heart disease is on a continuous telemetry monitor and has developed sinus bradycardia. In determining the possible cause of the bradycardia, the nurse assesses the client's medication record. Which medication is most likely the cause of the bradycardia? A) Propanolol (Inderal). B) Captopril (Capoten). C) Furosemide (Lasix). D) Dobutamine (Dobutrex).

A) Propanolol (Inderal). Inderal (A) is a beta adrenergic blocking agent, which causes decreased heart rate and decreased contractility. Neither (B), an ACE inhibitor, nor (C), a loop diuretic, causes bradycardia. (D) is a sympathomimetic, direct acting cardiac stimulant, which would increase the heart rate.

During suctioning, a client with an uncuffed tracheostomy tube begins to cough violently and dislodges the tracheostomy tube. Which action should the nurse implement first? A) Notify the healthcare provider for reinsertion. B) Attempt to reinsert the tracheostomy tube. C) Position the client in a lateral position with the neck extended. D) Ventilate client's tracheostomy stoma with a manual bag-mask.

B) Attempt to reinsert the tracheostomy tube. The nurse should attempt to reinsert the tracheostomy tube (B) by using a hemostat to open the tracheostomy or by grasping the retention sutures (if present) to spread the opening in insert a replacement tube (with its obturator) into the stoma. Once in place, the obturator should immediately be removed. (A, C, and D) place the client at risk of airway obstruction.

The nurse is providing dietary instructions to a 68-year-old client who is at high risk for development of coronary heart disease (CHD). Which information should the nurse include? A) Limit dietary selection of cholesterol to 300 mg per day. B) Increase intake of soluble fiber to 10 to 25 grams per day. C) Decrease plant stanols and sterols to less than 2 grams/day. D) Ensure saturated fat is less than 30% of total caloric intake.

B) Increase intake of soluble fiber to 10 to 25 grams per day. To reduce risk factors associated with coronary heart disease, the daily intake of soluble fiber (B) should be increased to between 10 and 25 gm. Cholesterol intake (A) should be limited to 180 mg/day or less. Intake of plant stanols and sterols is recommended at 2 g/day (C). Saturated fat (D) intake should be limited to 7% of total daily calories.

A 58-year-old client, who has no health problems, asks the nurse about the Pneumovax vaccine. The nurse's response to the client should be based on which information? A) The vaccine is given annually before the flu season to those over 50 years of age. B) The immunization is administered once to older adults or persons with a history of chronic illness. C) The vaccine is for all ages and is given primarily to those persons traveling overseas to areas of infection. D) The vaccine will prevent the occurrence of pneumococcal pneumonia for up to five years.

B) The immunization is administered once to older adults or persons with a history of chronic illness. It is usually recommended that persons over 65 years of age and those with a history of chronic illness receive the vaccine once in a lifetime (B). (Some resources recommend obtaining the vaccine at 50 years of age.) The influenza vaccine is given once a year, not the Pneumovax (A). Although the vaccine might be given to a person traveling overseas, that is not the main rationale for administering the vaccine (C). It is usually given once in a lifetime (D), but with immunosuppressed clients or clients with a history of pneumonia re-vaccination is sometimes required.

The nurse is completing an admission interview and assessment on a client with a history of Parkinson's disease. Which question should provide information relevant to the client's plan of care? A) Have you ever experienced any paralysis of your arms or legs? B) Have you ever sustained a severe head injury? C) Have you ever been 'frozen' in one spot, unable to move? D) Do you have headaches, especially ones with throbbing pain?

C) Have you ever been 'frozen' in one spot, unable to move? Clients with Parkinson's disease frequently experience difficulty in initiating, maintaining, and performing motor activities. They may even experience being rooted to the spot and unable to move (C). Parkinson's disease does not cause (A). Parkinson's disease is not usually associated with (B), nor does it typically cause (D).

During lung assessment, the nurse places a stethoscope on a client's chest and instructs him/her to say "99" each time the chest is touched with the stethoscope. What should be the correct interpretation if the nurse hears the spoken words "99" very clearly through the stethoscope? A) This is a normal auscultatory finding. B) May indicate pneumothorax. C) May indicate pneumonia. D) May indicate severe emphysema.

C) May indicate pneumonia. This test (whispered pectoriloquy) demonstrates hyperresonance and helps determine the clarity with which spoken words are heard upon auscultation. Normally, the spoken word is not well transmitted through lung tissue, and is heard as a muffled or unclear transmission of the spoken word. Increased clarity of a spoken word is indicative of some sort of consolidation process (e.g., tumor, pneumonia) (C), and is not a normal finding (A). When lung tissue is filled with more air than normal, the voice sounds are absent or very diminished (e.g., pneumothorax, severe emphysema) (B and D).

The nurse is assessing a client who smokes cigarettes and has been diagnosed with emphysema. Which finding should the nurse expect this client to exhibit? A) A decreased total lung capacity. B) Normal arterial blood gases. C) Normal skin coloring. D) An absence of sputum.

C) Normal skin coloring. The differentiation between the "pink puffer" and the "blue bloater" is a well-known method of differentiating clients exhibiting symptoms of emphysema (normal color but puffing respirations) from those exhibiting symptoms of chronic bronchitis (edematous, cyanotic, shallow respirations) (C). Total lung capacity is increased in emphysema since these clients have hyperinflated lungs (A). Arterial blood gases are typically abnormal (B). (D) is indicative of bronchitis, while clients with emphysema usually have copious amounts of thick, white sputum.

A client with multiple sclerosis has experienced an exacerbation of symptoms, including paresthesias, diplopia, and nystagmus. Which instruction should the nurse provide? A) Stay out of direct sunlight. B) Restrict intake of high protein foods. C) Schedule extra rest periods. D) Go to the emergency room immediately.

C) Schedule extra rest periods. Exacerbations of the symptoms of MS occur most commonly as the result of fatigue and stress. Extra rest periods should be scheduled (C) to reduce the symptoms. (A, B, and D) are not necessary.

A client has taken steroids for 12 years to help manage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). When making a home visit, which nursing function is of greatest importance to this client? Assess the client's A) pulse rate, both apically and radially. B) blood pressure, both standing and sitting. C) temperature. D) skin color and turgor.

C) temperature. It is very important to check the client's temperature (C). Infection is the most common factor precipitating respiratory distress. Clients with COPD who are on maintenance doses of corticosteroids are particularly predisposed to infection. (A and B) are important data for baseline and ongoing assessment, but they are not as important as temperature measurement for this client who is taking steroids. Assessment of skin color and turgor is less important (D).

Two days postoperative, a male client reports aching pain in his left leg. The nurse assesses redness and warmth on the lower left calf. What intervention should be most helpful to this client? A) Apply sequential compression devices (SCDs) bilaterally. B) Assess for a positive Homan's sign in each leg. C) Pad all bony prominences on the affected leg. D) Advise the client to remain in bed with the leg elevated.

D) Advise the client to remain in bed with the leg elevated. The client is exhibiting symptoms of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a complication of immobility. The initial care includes bedrest and elevation of the extremity (D). SCDs are used to prevent thrombophlebitis, not for treatment, when a clot might be dislodged (A). Once a client has thrombophlebitis, (B) is contraindicated because of the possibility of dislodging a clot. (C) is indicated to prevent pressure ulcers, but is not a therapeutic action for thrombophlebitis.

The nurse is assisting a client out of bed for the first time after surgery. What action should the nurse do first? A) Place a chair at a right angle to the bedside. B) Encourage deep breathing prior to standing. C) Help the client to sit and dangle legs on the side of the bed. D) Allow the client to sit with the bed in a high Fowler's position.

D) Allow the client to sit with the bed in a high Fowler's position. The first step is to raise the head of the bed to a high Fowler's position (D), which allow venous return to compensate from lying flat and vasodilating effects of perioperative drugs. (A, B, and C) are implemented after (D).

A client taking furosemide (Lasix), reports difficulty sleeping. What question is important for the nurse to ask the client? A) What dose of medication are you taking? B) Are you eating foods rich in potassium? C) Have you lost weight recently? D) At what time do you take your medication?

D) At what time do you take your medication? The nurse needs to first determine at what time of day the client takes the Lasix (D). Because of the diuretic effect of Lasix, clients should take the medication in the morning to prevent nocturia. The actual dose of medication (A) is of less importance than the time taken. (B) is not related to the insomnia. (C) is valuable information about the effect of the diuretic, but is not likely to be related to insomnia.

During a health fair, a 72-year-old male client tells the nurse that he is experiencing shortness of breath. Auscultation reveals crackles and wheezing in both lungs. Suspecting that the client might have chronic bronchitis, which classic symptom should the nurse expect this client to have? A) Racing pulse with exertion. B) Clubbing of the fingers. C) An increased chest diameter. D) Productive cough with grayish-white sputum.

D) Productive cough with grayish-white sputum. Chronic bronchitis, one of the diseases comprising the diagnosis of COPD, is characterized by a productive cough with grayish-white sputum (D), which usually occurs in the morning and is often ignored by smokers. (A) is not related to chronic bronchitis; however, it is indicative of other problems such as ventricular tachycardia and should be explored. (B and C) are symptoms of emphysema and are not consistent with the other symptoms. (C) is usually referred to as a "barrel chest."

A 77-year-old female client is admitted to the hospital. She is confused, has no appetite, is nauseated and vomiting, and is complaining of a headache. Her pulse rate is 43 beats per minute. Which question is a priority for the nurse to ask this client or her family on admission? "Does the client A) have her own teeth or dentures?" B) take aspirin and if so, how much?" C) take nitroglycerin?" D) take digitalis?"

D) take digitalis?" Elderly persons are particularly susceptible to digitalis intoxication (D) which manifests itself in such symptoms as anorexia, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, and fatigue. Although it is important to obtain a complete medication history (B and C), the symptoms described are classic for digitalis toxicity, and assessment of this problem should be made promptly. (A) is irrelevant.