CMSRN FREE CMSRN Medical-Surgical Nursing Guide Questions and Answers 3

Question 1

A nurse is assessing a patient with cirrhosis who has developed asterixis. This finding is most indicative of which complication?

Accepted Answer

Hepatic encephalopathy

Answer

Asterixis, a flapping tremor of the hands, is a classic neurological sign of hepatic encephalopathy caused by elevated ammonia levels.

Question 2

Which nursing intervention is most appropriate for a patient experiencing autonomic dysreflexia?

Accepted Answer

Sit the patient upright and identify the triggering stimulus

Answer

Sitting the patient upright lowers blood pressure while identifying and removing the trigger, such as a kinked catheter or fecal impaction, resolves the episode.

Question 3

A patient with acute pancreatitis has a nasogastric tube connected to low intermittent suction. Which acid-base imbalance is the nurse most likely to observe?

Accepted Answer

Metabolic alkalosis

Answer

Nasogastric suction removes hydrochloric acid from the stomach, leading to metabolic alkalosis.

Question 4

Which assessment finding would the nurse expect in a patient with a tension pneumothorax?

Accepted Answer

Tracheal deviation away from the affected side with absent breath sounds

Answer

In tension pneumothorax, trapped air shifts mediastinal structures away from the affected side, and breath sounds are absent on that side.

Question 5

A patient is admitted with syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH). Which laboratory finding does the nurse anticipate?

Accepted Answer

Serum sodium of 118 mEq/L

Answer

SIADH causes water retention and dilutional hyponatremia, resulting in critically low serum sodium levels.

CMSRN - Medical-Surgical Nursing Practice Test

CMSRN - Medical-Surgical Nursing Practice Test

CMSRN FREE CMSRN Medical-Surgical Nursing Guide Questions and Answers 3