Question 1

After returning from colonoscopy, a patient complains of increasing abdominal pain.What is an appropriate nursing intervention?

Accepted Answer

Bowel perforation should be suspected.The patient should be kept on NPO status, and intravenous access should be maintained.The physician should be notified immediately and vital signs monitored.
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Question 2

Which of the following factors may cause an increase in hematocrit concentration?

Accepted Answer

Dehydration causes the hematocrit value to be artificially high.
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Question 3

Which of the following statements is false with regard to the semen analysis test?

Accepted Answer

Because the sperm count varies from day to day, a single sperm analysis is inconclusive, especially if it indicates infertility.
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Question 4

Symptoms that may indicate hypocalcemia include which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Symptoms such as tetany and carpal pedal spasms indicate the need for a calcium level test to rule out hypocalcemia.Nausea, vomiting, anorexia, and confusion are signs of hypercalcemia.
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Question 5

A patient has been diagnosed with primary hypothyroidism.Her triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) levels are decreased.What would a clinician expect the thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels to be?

Accepted Answer

Low levels of T₃ and T₄ are the underlying stimuli for TSH elevation.Therefore, in primary hypothyroidism, a compensatory elevation of TSH level occurs.
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Question 6

Often during a fetal nonstress test (fetal activity determination test), fetal activity must be stimulated.Which of the following stimuli is not part of this test?

Accepted Answer

Oxytocin administration is not used in the nonstress test.It is part of the contraction stress test (oxytocin challenge test).
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Question 7

Which of the following statements regarding a glycosylated hemoglobin test is false?

Accepted Answer

An advantage of this test is that the blood sample can be drawn at any time because glycosylated hemoglobin is not affected by short-term physiologic variations.
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Question 8

After a liver biopsy, the patient should:

Accepted Answer

If the patient lies on the right side, the liver capsule is compressed against the chest wall, creating a tamponade for any hemorrhage or bile leak that may occur.
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Question 9

Which of the following tests is used to monitor warfarin administration?

Accepted Answer

To have uniform standards of prothrombin time results throughout the world, those results now include the INR value.
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Question 10

A woman in her first trimester of pregnancy develops pain consistent with gallbladder disease.What is the most appropriate diagnostic test?

Accepted Answer

This is the only test that does not expose the fetus to potentially harmful radiation.
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Question 11

The physician orders a blood culture for a patient with suspected bacteremia.Which of the following statements is incorrect with regard to the collection of this specimen?

Accepted Answer

Specimens should be collected as indicated in options a, b, and c.
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Question 12

A patient is scheduled for lumbar puncture.Which of the following conditions is a contraindication to this procedure?

Accepted Answer

Patients with increased ICP cannot undergo lumbar puncture because the lumbar puncture may induce cerebral or cerebellar herniation.
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Question 13

A patient has an elevated glucose level.Which of the following factors in his history may cause hyperglycemia?

Accepted Answer

Corticosteroid therapy causes chemically induced diabetes.
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Question 14

Which of the following is a possible cause of hyperkalemia?

Accepted Answer

Acidotic states tend to raise serum potassium levels by causing a shift of potassium out of the cell.All the other options (a, b, and c) are causes of hypokalemia.
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Question 15

After returning from an esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) and dilation of an esophageal stricture, a patient began to complain of fever and chest pain.What should the nurse suspect, and what is the most appropriate action?

Accepted Answer

Esophageal perforation is a complication associated with EGD, especially when the esophagus has been dilated.The nurse should notify the physician immediately, keep the patient on NPO status, maintain intravenous access, and record vital signs.
Reference

Question 16

A "shift to the left" in white blood cell production indicates an acute bacterial infection.Which of the following cells are increased in this situation?

Accepted Answer

Band, or stab, cells are immature forms of neutrophils that enter the circulation during an acute bacterial infection.
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Question 17

Which of the following statements best describes the Sims-Huhner test?

Accepted Answer

Options a, b, and c are all performed as part of this test.However, this test is mainly used as a postcoital examination of the cervical mucus to determine the ability of the sperm to penetrate the mucus and maintain mobility.
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Question 18

Which of the following tests is used to screen blood for antibody compatibility before a blood transfusion?

Accepted Answer

The indirect Coombs test is used to determine whether the patient has antibodies to the red blood cell that he or she is about to receive by blood transfusion.
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Question 19

After undergoing a barium enema study, what instruction should patients be given?

Accepted Answer

A laxative should be provided to the patient to evacuate retained barium, which may cause an impaction.Stool will be light in colour until all barium has been expelled.
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Question 20

Cortisol levels normally rise and fall during the day.This fluctuation is referred to as the diurnal variation.At what time of the day are levels the highest?

Accepted Answer

Cortisol levels are highest at approximately 6 am to 8 am and gradually fall during the day to the lowest point near midnight.
Reference

Quiz 1: Mosbys Canadian Manual of Diagnostic and Laboratory Tests, 1st Canadian Edition