Exam 10: End of Life Care

A patient was admitted to the critical care unit several weeks ago with an acute myocardial infarction and subsequently underwent coronary artery bypass grafting surgery.Since a cardiac arrest 5 days ago, the patient has been unresponsive.An electroencephalogram shows no meaningful brain activity.The patient does not have an advance directive.Which of the following statements would be the best way to approach the family regarding his ongoing care?

Recommendations for creating a supportive atmosphere during withdrawal discussions include

_____ is a powerful influence when the decision-making process is dealing with recovery or a peaceful death.

Organ donation

The two basic ethical principles underlying the provision of health care are

Which of the following statements about comfort care is accurate?

A patient was admitted to the critical care unit several weeks ago with an acute myocardial infarction and subsequently underwent coronary artery bypass grafting surgery.Since a cardiac arrest 5 days ago, the patient has been unresponsive.An electroencephalogram shows no meaningful brain activity.The patient is placed on a morphine drip to alleviate suspected operative pain and assist in sedation.The patient continues to grimace and fight the ventilator.What nursing intervention would be appropriate?

A patient was admitted to the critical care unit after having a CVA and MI.The patient has poor activity tolerance, falls in and out of consciousness, and has poor verbal skills.The patient has been resuscitated four times in the past 6 hours.The patient does not have advance directives.Family members are at the bedside.Who should the physician approach to discuss decisions of care and possible DNR status?

The patient's condition has deteriorated to the point where she can no longer make decisions about her own care.Which of the following nursing interventions would be most appropriate?

Haloperidol is recommended as useful treatment of _____.

A patient was admitted to the critical care unit several weeks ago with an acute myocardial infarction and subsequently underwent coronary artery bypass grafting surgery.Since a cardiac arrest 5 days ago, the patient has been unresponsive.An electroencephalogram shows no meaningful brain activity.The decision is made to remove the patient from the ventilator.Which of the following statements is most accurate?

Antiemetics should be used to treat

Hospice care can help families with

Which of the following are considerations when making the decision to allow family at the bedside during resuscitation efforts?

Family members become dissatisfied and stressed because of a lack of _____ among health care providers.

A patient tells the nurse to call his family and tell them they need to come so they can say their goodbyes.The patient is sure he will not be here tomorrow because his grandparent is waiting for him.This is an example of

Disagreement and distress among physicians, nurse practitioners, and critical care nurses can lead to

According to the Society for Critical Care Medicine, which of the following are among the most important needs of the family of the dying patient?

A patient was admitted to the critical care unit several weeks ago with an acute myocardial infarction and subsequently underwent coronary artery bypass grafting surgery.Since a cardiac arrest 5 days ago, the patient has been unresponsive.An electroencephalogram shows no meaningful brain activity.After a family conference, the physician orders a DNR order, and palliative care is begun.This means

Which of the following statements apply to DNR orders?