On inspection of a female patient's abdomen, the nurse asks the patient to raise her head without using her arms and notes a midline bulge. What is the appropriate response of the nurse at this time?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Document this as a normal finding and continue the examination. This is a normal finding on a patient. Ask the patient to cough; not holding her breath would cause the bulge to appear. A bulge that appears with coughing is an abnormal finding revealed by the increase in intrathoracic pressure during the cough. This would occur with a hernia. The abdomen should not bulge when the client raises their head. It would bulge when the patient coughs, laughs, or strains causing an increase in intra-abdominal pressure. Auscultating the patient's abdomen for hypoactive bowel sounds is not indicated because the bulge is a normal finding. Performing light palpation of the abdomen revealing a bulge indicates a hernia, a mass protruding through the abdominal muscular wall.

On Inspection of a Female Patient's Abdomen, the Nurse Asks