🩸 GLUCOSE & DIABETES
Which hormone lowers blood glucose by helping glucose enter cells?
Insulin
Think " Insulin is the key to glucose entering the cell"
What is IICP & What is the earliest sign?
1. ICP means there is too much pressure inside the skull.
2. Decreased LOC
“ICP starts with the BRAIN acting different.”
What is the normal heart rate for normal sinus rhythm?
60-100 bpm
What type of anemia is caused by low iron?
Iron-deficiency anemia
Which skin cancer is usually slow-growing and rarely spreads and is under the epidermis?
Basal cell carcinoma
Think "BASAL --> BOTTOM"
A patient is shaky, sweaty, hungry, and confused. Is this hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia?
Hypoglycemia
"Cold & Clammy need some candy"
What does BE FAST help identify & what does it stand for?
Left-sided heart failure primarily affects what area of the body?
The lungs
Think "Left"--> "Lungs"
Hemophilia A involves a deficiency of which clotting factor?
Factor VIII
Which skin cancer is considered the most dangerous?What does it come from?
Melanoma
Starts in melanocytes, the cells that make melanin (skin pigment).
Which type of diabetes has little or no insulin production and has the highest risk for DKA?
TYPE 1 DM
The pancreas makes little to NO insulin because the immune system destroys the insulin-making beta cells.
What are the three parts of Cushing's triad?
Increased BP, decreased HR, and irregular respirations
What is the difference between stable and unstable angina? Treatment?
Stable: predictable and usually improves with rest/nitroglycerin.
Unstable: new, worsening, or occurs at rest and is an emergency.
* Asprin - blood thinner - easier for blood to get through heart.
*Nitroglycerin - Helps angina to stop & improves blood flow so heart doesn't have to work so hard
Beta blocker - slows heart decreases oxygen (slow and low)
What medication is an anticoagulant that works quickly and is commonly given IV or subcutaneously? What lab test is associated?
1. Heparin
2. aPTT
A melanoma has an uneven border, multiple colors, and is changing in size. Which melanoma warning system helps identify these changes?
ABCDE
Asymmetry
Boarder
Color
Diameter
Evolving
A patient with DKA arrives dehydrated with very high glucose. What is the nurse's first priority: insulin or IV fluids?
IV Fluids
NO insulin → glucose stays in blood → glucose pulls water out → patient becomes VERY dehydrated.
Gotta replace severe fluid loss
Why does MS cause neurological problems?
Damage to myelin slows or interrupts nerve signals.
Which rhythm is treated with defibrillation when the patient has no pulse?
Ventricular fibrillation (V-fib)
VFib is a deadly heart rhythm where the ventricles just “quiver” instead of pumping blood. Since the ventricles are quivering chaotically blood is pooling in the heart *at the bottom* and is not making it to the brain or the body.
What is the difference between an anticoagulant and an antiplatelet?
Anticoagulants interfere with clotting factors; antiplatelets prevent platelets from sticking together.
What is the difference between cancer "grade" and "stage"?
Grade = what the cells look like; Stage = how far the cancer has spread.
A patient with DKA receives insulin. Why must the nurse closely monitor potassium?
Insulin moves potassium into cells, which can cause hypokalemia.
Potassium is important for the heart and muscles - if K+ is low it could cause irregular heart rhythms and muscle weakness and cardiac arrest.
A patient has a seizure lasting 7 minutes without regaining consciousness. What emergency condition should the nurse suspect?
Status epilepticus
A patient has a blood pressure of 82/48, cool clammy skin, confusion, and weak pulses. What does this suggest?
Poor tissue perfusion/shock.
BP = 82/48 → 🚨 Very low blood pressure
Cool, clammy skin → 🧊 Body is trying to save blood for the important organs
Confusion → 🧠 Brain isn't getting enough oxygenated blood
Weak pulses → ❤️ Not enough blood is being pumped around the body
What should the nurse NOT do to a leg with a suspected DVT and why?
Do not massage the leg.
Why? You don't want to risk dislodging the clot, this could cause it to move elsewhere - possibly to the brain.
A patient with HIV develops purple/brown skin lesions. What cancer should the nurse suspect?
Kaposi sarcoma
Think HIV/AIDs made Kaposi :)