Medical-Surgical Nursing Flashcards
6 cards from real BSN practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Medical-Surgical Nursing flashcards as text
Which clinical manifestation is an early sign of increased intracranial pressure (ICP)?
Answer: Decreasing level of consciousness and restlessness
A decreasing level of consciousness is typically the earliest sign of rising ICP because the reticular activating system is sensitive to pressure changes.
A patient with chronic liver disease presents with asterixis (flapping tremor), confusion, and fetor hepaticus. Which dietary modification should the nurse anticipate in the care plan?
Answer: Protein restriction to reduce ammonia production
Hepatic encephalopathy results from excess ammonia; reducing dietary protein decreases the substrate for ammonia production by gut bacteria.
A patient post-thyroidectomy suddenly develops stridor, dysphagia, and tingling in the fingertips. What complication should the nurse suspect?
Answer: Hypocalcemia from inadvertent parathyroid removal
Inadvertent removal or damage to the parathyroid glands causes acute hypocalcemia, manifesting as tetany, stridor, and perioral/fingertip tingling.
A patient with a lower extremity amputation is complaining of pain in the amputated limb. The nurse correctly documents this as:
Answer: Phantom limb pain
Phantom limb pain is real pain perceived in the absent limb due to persistent neural signals from the spinal cord and brain.
A nurse is caring for a patient with a chest tube. The water-seal chamber shows continuous bubbling. What does this finding indicate?
Answer: An air leak in the system or the patient's pleural space
Continuous bubbling in the water-seal chamber indicates an ongoing air leak, which may originate from the patient's pleural space or a loose connection.
A patient with burns over 40% of their body surface area is in the emergent phase. Which IV fluid is the priority for initial resuscitation?
Answer: Lactated Ringer's solution
Lactated Ringer's is the isotonic crystalloid of choice for burn resuscitation per the Parkland formula because it replaces lost fluid and electrolytes.