Just Breathe
Name two emergency supplies that should be at the bedside for a tracheostomy patient.
What are suction setup, O2, bag-valve mask, obturator, and spare trach?
A nurse should ask about this allergy before administering IV contrast dye.
What is iodine and shellfish?
A patient experiencing right-sided weakness and difficulty speaking should immediately undergo this diagnostic test.
What is a non-contrast CT scan?
Name dietary modifications for a patient with GERD
What are limit fatty foods, decrease acidic foods, avoid spicy foods, limit chocolate (trigger food), eat smaller more freq meals, increase water intake, limit citrus, alcohol and caffeine
After total joint replacement, patients should avoid this leg position.
What is crossing their legs?
A patient presents with substernal chest pain, but their myoglobin levels have not risen after eight hours. What does this indicate?
What is the patient did not have a myocardial infarction?
Wheezing, dyspnea, and chest tightness are hallmark signs of this chronic condition
What is asthma?
The universal blood donor type and universal recipient type.
What is O negative and AB positive?
Decreased dopamine causes this movement disorder.
What is Parkinson’s disease?
Stomatitis is best managed by providing these interventions.
What are freq oral care, mouth moisturizing agents, avoiding acidic, spicy, hard, and hot foods and liquids, avoid mouth washes containing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, or iodine, cleansing with baking soda rinses may also be helpful.
A patient with venous ulcers is likely to have these wound characteristics.
What are irregular shape, uneven edges, and "wet" with heavy exudate?
This diagnostic procedure is used to visualize coronary artery blockages and may include stent placement.
What is PCI or cardiac catherization?
Atelectasis is best prevented by this intervention
What are deep breathing exercises?
This autoimmune disorder leads to demyelination of the CNS, affecting muscle coordination.
What is Multiple Sclerosis?
When a patient with a history of seizures has an episode, the nurse should document this information.
What are the time of onset, duration of the seizure, type of movements observed, level of consciousness, any aura present, medications administered during the seizure, and the patient's status post-seizure (including recovery time and any neurological deficits).
A patient with gallbladder or liver disease often has this stool color.
What is clay-colored?
High-top sneakers prevent this complication in spinal cord injury patients.
What is foot drop?
In this condition, veins become distended and fail to properly return blood to the heart, often due to valve incompetence.
What are varicose veins?
Patients with heart failure often report waking up gasping for air, a condition known as this
What is paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea? or nocturnal orthopnea?
Lupus patients should avoid this environmental factor to prevent flare-ups.
What is prolonged sun exposure?
List expected nursing interventions for a patient with bacterial meningitis.
What are maintain a quiet, dimly lit environment, monitor neuro status freq for changes, elevate the head of the bed 30 degrees, initiate seizure precautions, antibiotics immediately to treat the infection, implement droplet precautions for at least the first 24 hours after starting antibiotics, monitor for signs of sepsis/shock, prophylactic ATB for all exposed
A patient with pancreatitis will likely have elevated levels of these two lab values.
What are amylase and lipase?
A patient who receives the wrong blood type during a transfusion is experiencing this type of hypersensitivity reaction.
What is a Type II hypersensitivity reaction?
A patient with a suspected myocardial infarction may have elevated levels of this enzyme in their blood, which is released from damaged heart muscle cells.
What is troponin?
COPD patients should be cautious about oxygen therapy due to the risk of this condition.
What is CO2 retention?
The treatment for Guillain-Barre Syndrome, Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis, and other autoimmune diseases often includes these therapies.
What are long term steroids, immunotherapy, and plasmapheresis?
List expected nursing interventions for a patient with Parkinson’s disease
What are fall precautions, enc physical activity with rest periods to prevent fatigue, use assistive devices & adaptive utensils, enc high-fiber diet & increased fluids to prevent constipation, meds like levodopa/carbidopa, diphenhydramine to manage symptoms, monitor for urinary retention, aspiration precautions, education
List interventions to assist a patient with dysphagia.
What are diet modification (thickened liquids, altered food textures), upright position during meal and 30 min after, chin tucking, dry swallowing exercises to strengthen muscles, freq. oral hygiene, 1:1 observation for safety
This autoimmune disorder affects the neuromuscular junction, leading to muscle weakness that worsens with activity.
What is Myasthenia Gravis?
This class of medications reduces preload and afterload by dilating blood vessels and decreasing the heart's workload.
What are nitrates?
This complication, often seen after coronary artery bypass surgery, occurs when the chest cavity fills with fluid, leading to difficulty breathing and potential infection.
What is pleural effusion?
Name two ways to protect immunosuppressed patients from infections.
What are hand hygiene, reverse isolation, avoiding fresh foods, washing fresh foods thoroughly, and avoiding fresh flowers?
List expected independent nursing interventions for a patient with a C6 spinal cord injury.
What are turn the patient Q 2 hours to prevent pressure ulcers, incentive spirometer to prevent pneumonia, monitor bladder and bowel function, implement DVT prophylaxis due to immobility, enc ROM exercises to prevent contractures, provide emotional support and education
The consistency of stool in an ostomy bag depends on the location of the stoma. Describe expected stool consistency: Ascending, transverse, descending and sigmoid
Ascending colostomy → What is liquid?
Transverse colostomy → What is mushy?
Descending colostomy → What is semi-formed?
Sigmoid colostomy → What is solid?
A patient 10 hours post-op from a laparoscopic cholecystectomy complains of bloating and discomfort. What is the priority intervention?
What is ambulate the patient?
This medication class is commonly used before PCI to inhibit platelet aggregation and reduce the risk of clot formation.
What are antiplatelets (e.g., aspirin, clopidogrel)?