Med Surg: Chapter 47 Endocrine System
A 29-year-old patient in the outpatient clinic will be scheduled for blood cortisol testing. Which instruction will the nurse provide?
"Come to the laboratory to have the blood drawn early in the morning." Cortisol levels are usually drawn in the morning, when levels are highest. The other instructions would be given to patients who were having other endocrine testing.
Which statement by a 50-year-old female patient indicates to the nurse that further assessment of thyroid function may be necessary?
"I feel a lump in my throat when I swallow." Difficulty in swallowing can occur with a goiter. Nocturia is associated with diseases such as diabetes mellitus, diabetes insipidus, or chronic kidney disease. Breast tenderness would occur with excessive gonadal hormone levels. Thirst is a sign of disease such as diabetes.
Which statements will the nurse include when teaching a patient who is scheduled for oral glucose tolerance testing in the outpatient clinic (select all that apply)?
-"You will need to avoid smoking before the test." - "Several blood samples will be obtained during the testing." -"The test requires that you fast for at least 8 hours before testing." Smoking may affect the results of oral glucose tolerance tests. Blood samples are obtained at baseline and at 30, 60, and 120 minutes. Accuracy requires that the patient be fasting before the test. The patient should consume at least 1500 calories/day for 3 days before the test. The patient should be ambulatory and active for accurate test results.
An 18-year-old male patient with a small stature is scheduled for a growth hormone stimulation test. In preparation for the test, the nurse will obtain
50% dextrose solution. Hypoglycemia is induced during the growth hormone stimulation test, and the nurse should be ready to administer 50% dextrose immediately. Regular insulin is used to induce hypoglycemia (glargine is never given IV). The patient does not require cardiac monitoring during the test. Although blood samples for some tests must be kept on ice, this is not true for the growth hormone stimulation test.
Which question will provide the most useful information to a nurse who is interviewing a patient about a possible thyroid disorder?
="Have you had a recent unplanned weight gain or loss?" Because thyroid function affects metabolic rate, changes in weight may indicate hyperfunction or hypofunction of the thyroid gland. Nocturia, visual difficulty, and changes in stress level are associated with other endocrine disorders.
A 35-year-old female patient with a possible pituitary adenoma is scheduled for a computed tomography (CT) scan with contrast media. Which patient information is most important for the nurse to communicate to the health care provider before the test?
Allergies to iodine and shellfish Because the usual contrast media is iodine-based, the health care provider will need to know about the allergy before the CT scan. The other findings are common with any mass in the brain such as a pituitary adenoma.
A 30-year-old patient seen in the emergency department for severe headache and acute confusion is found to have a serum sodium level of 118 mEq/L. The nurse will anticipate the need for which diagnostic test?
Antidiuretic hormone level Elevated levels of antidiuretic hormone will cause water retention and decrease serum sodium levels. The other tests would not be helpful in determining possible causes of the patient's hyponatremia.
The nurse is caring for a 63-year-old with a possible pituitary tumor who is scheduled for a computed tomography (CT) scan with contrast. Which information about the patient is most important to discuss with the health care provider before the test?
History of renal insufficiency Because contrast media may cause acute kidney injury in patients with poor renal function, the health care provider will need to prescribe therapies such as IV fluids to prevent this complication. The other findings are consistent with the patient's diagnosis of a pituitary tumor.
A 44-year-old patient is admitted with tetany. Which laboratory value should the nurse monitor?
Ionized calcium Tetany is associated with hypocalcemia. The other values would not be useful for this patient.
Which action by a new registered nurse (RN) caring for a patient with a goiter and possible hyperthyroidism indicates that the charge nurse needs to do more teaching?
The RN palpates the neck thoroughly to check thyroid size. Palpation can cause the release of thyroid hormones in a patient with an enlarged thyroid and should be avoided. The other actions by the new RN are appropriate when caring for a patient with an enlarged thyroid.
The nurse is caring for a 45-year-old male patient during a water deprivation test. Which finding is most important for the nurse to communicate to the health care provider?
The patient has a 5-lb (2.3 kg) weight loss. A drop in the weight of more than 2 kg indicates severe dehydration, and the test should be discontinued. The other assessment data are not unusual with this test.
Which information about a 30-year-old patient who is scheduled for an oral glucose tolerance test should be reported to the health care provider before starting the test?
The patient takes oral corticosteroids for rheumatoid arthritis. Corticosteroids can affect blood glucose results. The other information will be provided to the health care provider but will not affect the test results.
Which additional information will the nurse need to consider when reviewing the laboratory results for a patient's total calcium level?
The serum albumin level is low. Part of the total calcium is bound to albumin so hypoalbuminemia can lead to misinterpretation of calcium levels. The other laboratory values will not affect total calcium interpretation.
Which laboratory value should the nurse review to determine whether a patient's hypothyroidism is caused by a problem with the anterior pituitary gland or with the thyroid gland?
Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level A low TSH level indicates that the patient's hypothyroidism is caused by decreased anterior pituitary secretion of TSH. Low T3 and T4 levels are not diagnostic of the primary cause of the hypothyroidism. TRH levels indicate the function of the hypothalamus.
The nurse will teach a patient to plan to minimize physical and emotional stress while the patient is undergoing
a 24-hour urine test for free cortisol. Physical and emotional stress can affect the results of the free cortisol test. The other tests are not impacted by stress.
During the physical examination of a 36-year-old female, the nurse finds that the patient's thyroid gland cannot be palpated. The most appropriate action by the nurse is to
document that the thyroid was nonpalpable. The thyroid is frequently nonpalpable. The nurse should simply document the finding. There is no need to notify the health care provider immediately about a normal finding. There is no indication for thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) testing unless there is evidence of thyroid dysfunction. Deep palpation of the neck is not appropriate.
A 60-year-old patient is taking spironolactone (Aldactone), a drug that blocks the action of aldosterone on the kidney, for hypertension. The nurse will monitor for
elevated serum potassium. Because aldosterone increases the excretion of potassium, a medication that blocks aldosterone will tend to cause hyperkalemia. Aldosterone also promotes the reabsorption of sodium and water in the renal tubules, so spironolactone will tend to cause increased urine output, a decreased or normal serum sodium level, and signs of dehydration.
The nurse reviews a patient's glycosylated hemoglobin (Hb A1C) results to evaluate
glucose control over the past 90 days. Glycosylated hemoglobin testing measures glucose control over the last 3 months. Glucose testing before/after a meal or random testing may reveal impaired glucose tolerance and indicate prediabetes, but it is not done on patients who already have a diagnosis of diabetes. There is no test to evaluate for hypoglycemic episodes in the past.
A nurse will teach a patient who is scheduled to complete a 24-hour urine collection for 17-ketosteroids to
keep the specimen refrigerated or on ice. The specimen must be kept on ice or refrigerated until the collection is finished. Voided or catheterized specimens are acceptable for the test. The initial voided specimen is discarded. There is no fluid intake requirement for the 24-hour collection.
A 22-year-old patient is being seen in the clinic with increased secretion of the anterior pituitary hormones. The nurse would expect the laboratory results to show
increased urinary cortisol. Increased secretion of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) by the anterior pituitary gland will lead to an increase in serum and urinary cortisol levels. An increase, rather than a decrease, in thyroxine level would be expected with increased secretion of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) by the anterior pituitary. Aldosterone and catecholamine levels are not controlled by the anterior pituitary.
A 61-year-old female patient admitted with pneumonia has a total serum calcium level of 13.3 mg/dL (3.3 mmol/L). The nurse will anticipate the need to teach the patient about testing for _____ levels.
parathyroid hormone Parathyroid hormone is the major controller of blood calcium levels. Although calcitonin secretion is a countermechanism to parathyroid hormone, it does not play a major role in calcium balance. Catecholamine and thyroid hormone levels do not affect serum calcium level.
A 40-year-old male patient has been newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Which information about the patient will be most useful to the nurse who is helping the patient develop strategies for successful adaptation to this disease?
Value system When dealing with a patient with a chronic condition such as diabetes, identification of the patient's values and beliefs can assist the health care team in choosing strategies for successful lifestyle change. The other information also will be useful, but is not as important in developing an individualized plan for the necessary lifestyle changes.
