Chapter 34- Assessment of Digestive and Gastrointestinal Function

1. The nurse recognizes that the brain regulates swallowing. Damage to this area of the brain will affect the patient's ability to swallow: A) Temporal lobe B) Medulla oblongata C) Cerebellum D) Pons Ans: B Difficulty: Moderate 2. The dietitian who is meeting with a patient experiencing poor wound healing after surgery determines that the patient requires more protein in his diet and discusses the patient's nutritional deficits with the nurse. The nurse is aware that enzymes are essential in the digestion of nutrients. What is the enzyme that initiates the digestion of protein? A) Pepsin B) Intrinsic factor C) Lipase D) Amylase Ans: A Difficulty: Moderate 3. A patient has fractured the radius and may require surgery. His last meal was at 6:00 PM, and the surgery is held for risk of a potential aspiration. What is the earliest time the patient could potentially have surgery? A) 12:00 AM B) 9:00 PM C) 8:00 AM D) 6:00 AM Ans: A Difficulty: Difficult 4. The nursing assistant notifies the nurse that the patient has bright red streaking of blood in the stool. This is likely a result of which of the following? A) Diet high in red meat C) Hemorrhoids B) Upper GI bleed D) Cancer of the large intestine Ans: C Difficulty: Moderate 5. An adult patient is scheduled for an upper GI series that will use a barium swallow. What teaching should the nurse include when the patient has completed the test? A) Stool will be yellow for the first 24 hours post-procedure. B) The barium may cause diarrhea. C) Fluids must be increased to facilitate the evacuation of the stool. D) This series includes analysis of gastric secretions. Ans: C Difficulty: Moderate 6. The nurse is caring for a patient who is undergoing testing for possible polyps. What diagnostic test may be done to diagnose this type of lesion? A) Gastric analysis B) Barium enema C) Barium swallow D) Gastroscopy Ans: B Difficulty: Moderate 7. A patient is scheduled for a gastroscopy and needs to be prepared for the procedure. What preparation is needed?
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A) B) C) D)

Insert a nasogastric tube. Administer a micro Fleet enema. Have the patient lie in a dorsal position. Spray or gargle the back of the throat with local anesthetic. Ans: D Difficulty: Difficult

8. For a flexible scope procedure, in which position should the nurse place the patient? A) In a dorsal knee-chest position B) Lying on the stomach with legs drawn toward the chest C) Lying on the left side with the left leg bent D) In a prone position with two pillows elevating the legs Ans: C Difficulty: Moderate 9. A patient is scheduled to have a fecal occult blood test. Before the test, the nurse should instruct the patient to avoid: A) Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory C) Fish drugs B) Acetaminophen D) Carrots Ans: A Difficulty: Moderate 10. When performing an abdominal assessment, the nurse should follow which examination sequence? A) Inspection, auscultation, percussion, and palpation B) Inspection, auscultation, palpation, and percussion C) Inspection, percussion, palpation, and auscultation D) Inspection, palpation, percussion, and auscultation Ans: B Difficulty: Moderate 11. The nurse is preparing a patient with Crohn's disease for a barium enema. What is an appropriate nursing intervention the day before the test? A) Serve the patient his usual diet. C) Encourage plenty of fluids. B) Order a high-fiber diet. D) Serve dairy products. Ans: C Difficulty: Moderate 12. The nurse assesses the patient's stool after a bowel movement and notes it to be a tarryblack color. The nurse recognizes that the bleeding is likely occurring in the: A) Lower GI tract B) Upper GI tract C) Esophagus D) Anal area Ans: B Difficulty: Moderate 13. The nurse who is auscultating the patient's abdomen and hears one or two bowel

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sounds in a 2-minute period of time will document the patient's bowel sounds as: A) Normal B) Hypoactive C) Hyperactive D) Absent Ans: B Difficulty: Easy 14. The nurse assessing the size and density of the abdominal organs recognizes that the best assessment technique to validate gastrointestinal palpation findings is: A) Percussion B) Auscultation C) Inspection D) Rectal examination Ans: A Difficulty: Moderate 15. The nurse is assessing a patient's stool and notes that the color is red. While the red color does not appear to be blood, the nurse performs a hemoccult test on the stool that is found to be negative. The nurse asks the patient if he has recently consumed which of the following foods that may turn the stool red? A) Beef B) Carrots C) Spinach D) Catsup Ans: B Difficulty: Easy 16. The nurse caring for a patient with biliary colic is aware that the patient may experience referred abdominal pain and assesses for referred pain. What is the common location for referred pain related to biliary colic? A) Above the left nipple C) Left groin area B) Below the right nipple D) Right groin area Ans: B Difficulty: Difficult 17. The nurse assesses a patient's bowel patterns and stools after he has returned from a barium enema study. Which of the following findings based upon the assessment of the stool will the nurse report to the physician? A) Large, wide stools B) Milky white stools C) Three stools during an 8-hour period of time D) Stools with streaks of blood throughout the fecal material Ans: D Difficulty: Moderate 18. The nurse preparing to instruct the patient on a colon preparation procedure that will include polyethylene glycol electrolyte lavage prior to a colonoscopy is aware that the use of lavage solutions is contraindicated in a patient with: A) An inflammatory bowel disease C) A colostomy B) Polyps D) Colon cancer Ans: A Difficulty: Moderate

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