NCLEX Flashcards
7 cards from real IBD practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 NCLEX flashcards as text
A client with IBD is prescribed metronidazole for a perianal fistula. The nurse should teach the client to avoid which substance?
Answer: Alcohol
Metronidazole causes a disulfiram-like reaction with alcohol, producing flushing, nausea, vomiting, and tachycardia.
A nurse is caring for a client with Crohn's disease experiencing a flare. The client reports 10 bloody stools per day, fever of 39.2°C, and HR of 112 bpm. These findings are consistent with which complication?
Answer: Severe colitis
More than 6 bloody stools per day with systemic signs (fever, tachycardia) meets criteria for severe colitis requiring aggressive inpatient management.
Which laboratory value is the most specific marker used to monitor intestinal inflammation in IBD clients without requiring colonoscopy?
Answer: Fecal calprotectin
Fecal calprotectin is a stool-based biomarker that directly reflects intestinal mucosal inflammation and is more specific to GI inflammation than CRP or ESR.
A postoperative client who had a colectomy for ulcerative colitis develops fever, abdominal distension, and absent bowel sounds on day 3. The nurse suspects:
Answer: Anastomotic leak
Fever with abdominal distension after bowel surgery suggests anastomotic leak, a serious complication requiring immediate surgical evaluation.
A client with IBD asks about the risk of colorectal cancer. The nurse correctly explains that colonoscopy surveillance should begin:
Answer: After 8–10 years of extensive colitis
Clients with extensive ulcerative colitis or Crohn's colitis have increased cancer risk and should begin surveillance colonoscopy after 8–10 years of disease.
A client with Crohn's disease develops kidney stones. The nurse understands that the most likely type of stone in this population is:
Answer: Oxalate stones
Ileal Crohn's disease causes fat malabsorption, leading to increased intestinal oxalate absorption (hyperoxaluria) and calcium oxalate stone formation.
The nurse is teaching a client with IBD about azathioprine therapy. Which instruction is most important?
Answer: Report any signs of infection immediately
Azathioprine is an immunosuppressant that increases infection risk; clients must report fever, chills, or other infection signs promptly.