A patient is admitted to your unit with hepatomegaly secondary to ...

[Mr3Hunna]

A patient is admitted to your unit with hepatomegaly secondary to hepatitis. When conducting patient education, the nurse should counsel the patient to
 
  a. avoid alcohol and acetaminophen.
  b. have monthly liver enzymes drawn.
  c. measure the abdominal girth to monitor liver enlargement and report findings to the prescriber.
  d. discontinue use of all drugs metabolized in the liver.

Question 2

An obesity-prone patient who takes an antipsychotic agent has been trying diligently to lose weight.
 
  The patient expresses her concern to the nurse and asks, Is there a medication that I can take that causes less weight gain than the others? The nurse would be correct to suggest to the patient that she discuss with the prescriber the possibility of switching to which drug to address her concern? a. Thioridazine (Mellaril)
  b. Quetiapine (Seroquel)
  c. Olanzapine (Zyprexa)
  d. Ziprasidone (Geodon)

[meow1234]

Answer to Question 1

A
Acetaminophen (Tylenol) and alcohol are contraindicated in a patient with liver problems, be-cause both increase the risk for hepatotoxicity.
Having liver enzymes drawn monthly is too frequent; they usually are drawn every 3 months. Although important, they are not the most important piece of information to teach related to the daily activities of the patient.
Measurement of the abdominal girth to monitor for liver enlargement is a nursing intervention, not a patient intervention.
Discontinuation of all drugs metabolized in the liver is not feasible, because most are metabolized by the liver.

Answer to Question 2

D
Ziprasidone (Geodon) has been shown to cause only a small weight gain compared to other anti-psychotic medications.
Thioridazine and quetiapine cause moderate weight gain.
Olanzapine causes high weight gain.