Exam 22: Abdomen

A 40-year-old man states that his physician told him that he has a hernia. He asks the nurse to explain what a hernia is. Which response by the nurse is appropriate?

During the change-of-shift report, the student nurse hears that a patient has hepatomegaly. What should the student recognizes that this term means?

A 45-year-old man is in the clinic for a physical examination. During the abdominal assessment, the nurse percusses the abdomen and notices an area of dullness above the right costal margin of approximately 11 cm. How should the nurse proceed?

The nurse is assessing the abdomen of an older adult. Which statement regarding the older adult and abdominal assessment is true?

During a health history, the patient tells the nurse, "I have pain all the time in my stomach. It's worse 2 hours after I eat, but it gets better if I eat again!" Based on these symptoms, the nurse suspects that the patient has which condition?

The nurse suspects that a patient has a distended bladder. How should the nurse assess for this condition?

A patient is suspected of having inflammation of the gallbladder, or cholecystitis. The nurse should conduct which of these techniques to assess for this condition?

A patient is having difficulty swallowing medications and food. How should the nurse document this?

During an assessment of a newborn infant, the nurse suspects the infant has pyloric stenosis. What finding would cause the nurse to suspect this?

The nurse is percussing the seventh right intercostal space at the midclavicular line over the liver. Which sound should the nurse expect to hear?

Just before going home, a new mother asks the nurse about the infant's umbilical cord. Which of these statements is correct?

The nurse notices that a patient has had a black, tarry stool. What should the nurse recognize may cause this finding?

The nurse is describing a scaphoid abdomen. When assessing the contour of the abdomen from the rib margin to the pubic bone, what would the contour look like?

A patient is reporting sharp pain along the costovertebral angles. What does this symptom most often indicate?

When palpating the abdomen of a 20-year-old patient, the nurse notices the presence of tenderness in the left upper quadrant with deep palpation. Which of these structures is most likely to be involved?

A nurse notices that a patient has abdominal ascites. What does this finding indicate?

A patient's abdomen is bulging and stretched in appearance. How should the nurse document this finding?

The nurse is reviewing information on lactose intolerance and learned that in some racial groups lactase activity (ability to digest and absorb lactose) is high at birth but declines to low levels by adulthood. Which ethnic group has the highest potential for lactose-intolerance symptoms in adulthood?

During an abdominal assessment, the nurse elicits tenderness on light palpation in the right lower quadrant. The nurse recognizes this finding could indicate a problem with what structure?

The physician comments that a patient has abdominal borborygmi. What is the best description of this term?