Chapter 41 Intestinal / Rectal Disorders Prep U

The nurse is performing a rectal assessment and notices a longitudinal tear or ulceration in the lining of the anal canal. The nurse documents the finding as which condition?

Anal fissure

The nurse is performing a community screening for colorectal cancer. Which characteristic should the nurse include in the screening?

Familial polyposis

Which of the following is accurate regarding regional enteritis?

Fistulas are common

The nurse in an extended-care facility reports that a resident has clinical manifestations of fecal incontinence. The health care provider orders a diagnostic study to rule out inflammation. Which study will the nurse prepare the client for?

Flexible sigmoidoscopy

A nurse is applying an ostomy appliance to the ileostomy of a client with ulcerative colitis. Which action is appropriate?

Gently washing the area surrounding the stoma using a facecloth and mild soap

A longitudinal tear or ulceration in the lining of the anal canal is termed a(n):

anal fissure.

A client reports constipation. Which nursing measure would be most effective in helping the client reduce constipation?

Assist client to increase dietary fiber.

A client realizes that regular use of laxatives has greatly improved bowel patterns. However, the nurse cautions this client against the prolonged use of laxatives for which reason?

The client's natural bowel function may become sluggish

A client reports taking a stimulant laxative in order to be able to have a bowel movement daily. What should the nurse inform the client about taking a stimulant laxative?

They can be habit forming and will require increasing doses to be effective.

A nurse is preparing a presentation for a local community group of older adults about colon cancer. What would the nurse include as the primary characteristic associated with this disorder?

A change in bowel habits

A client presents to the emergency room with a possible diagnosis of appendicitis. The health care provider asks the nurse to assess for tenderness at McBurney's point. The nurse knows to palpate which area?

Between the umbilicus and the anterior superior iliac spine

The nurse is talking with a group of clients who are older than age 50 years about the recognition of colon cancer to access early intervention. What should the nurse inform the clients to report immediately to their primary care provider?

Change in bowel habits

Which is the most common presenting symptom of colon cancer?

Change in bowel habits

The nurse is conducting a community education program on colorectal cancer. Which statement should the nurse include in the program?

It is the third most common cancer in the United States.

Celiac disease (celiac sprue) is an example of which category of malabsorption?

Mucosal disorders causing generalized malabsorption

The nurse is monitoring a client's postoperative course after an appendectomy. The nurse's assessment reveals that the client has vomited, has abdominal tenderness and rigidity, and has tachycardia. The nurse reports to the physician that the client has signs/symptoms of which complication?

Peritonitis

When the nurse interviews a client with internal hemorrhoids, what would the nurse expect the client to report?

Rectal bleeding

Which of the following is the most common symptom of a polyp?

Rectal bleeding

The nurse is performing an abdominal assessment for a patient with diarrhea and auscultates a loud rumbling sound in the left lower quadrant. What will the nurse document this sound as on the nurse's notes?

Borborygmus

The nurse is conducting discharge teaching for a client with diverticulosis. Which instruction should the nurse include in the teaching?

Drink 8 to 10 glasses of fluid daily.

What information should the nurse include in the teaching plan for a client being treated for diverticulosis?

Drink at least 8 to 10 large glasses of fluid every day

A patient visited a nurse practitioner because he had diarrhea for 2 weeks. He described his stool as large and greasy. The nurse knows that this description is consistent with a diagnosis of:

Intestinal malabsorption.

Vomiting results in which of the following acid-base imbalances?

Metabolic alkalosis

A client is admitted with a diagnosis of acute appendicitis. When assessing the abdomen, the nurse would expect to find rebound tenderness at which location?

Right lower quadrant

A client who has undergone colostomy surgery is experiencing constipation. Which intervention should a nurse consider for such a client?

Suggest fluid intake of at least 2 L/day

The nurse is assessing a client for constipation. Which factor should the nurse review first to identify the cause of constipation?

Usual pattern of elimination

A client is admitted to the emergency department with reports right lower quadrant pain. Blood specimens are drawn and sent to the laboratory. Which laboratory finding should be reported to the health care provider immediately?

White blood cell (WBC) count 22.8/mm3

A client reports severe pain and bleeding while having a bowel movement. Upon inspection, the health care provider notes a linear tear in the anal canal tissue. The client is diagnosed with a:

fissure.

A client has been experiencing lower GI difficulties that have increased in severity, and the gastroenterologist is concerned that the client's bowel is not functioning properly. What function of the lower GI tract is most likely to be affected by the client's disorder?

water and electrolyte absorption

A nursing assessment of a client with peritonitis reveals hypotension, tachycardia, and signs and symptoms of dehydration. What else would the nurse expect to find?

severe abdominal pain with direct palpation or rebound tenderness

The nurse is performing and documenting the findings of an abdominal assessment. When the nurse hears intestinal rumbling and the client then experiences diarrhea, the nurse documents the presence of which condition?

Borborygmus

A client with Crohn's disease is losing weight. For which reason will the nurse anticipate the client being prescribed parenteral nutrition?

Impaired ability to absorb food

A client is recovering from an ileostomy that was performed to treat inflammatory bowel disease. During discharge teaching, what would the nurse stress the importance of?

Increasing fluid intake to prevent dehydration

A client tells the nurse, "I am not having normal bowel movements." When differentiating between what are normal and abnormal bowel habits, what indicators are the most important?

The consistency of stool and comfort when passing stool

The nurse caring for an older adult client diagnosed with diarrhea is administering and monitoring the client's medications. Because one of the client's medications is digitalis (digoxin), the nurse monitors the client closely for:

hypokalemia.