The patient was found in an alley on a cold winter night and is ...

[Tazate]

The patient was found in an alley on a cold winter night and is admitted with hypothermia from environmental exposure. She is elderly and is having difficulty breathing. Her breath sounds are diminished, and the tip of her nose is cyanotic.
 
  The nurse wants to assess the oxygen level in the patient's blood. She decides to use the pulse oximeter. The best way to apply this to this patient would be with a(n):
  a. finger probe.
  b. earlobe sensor.
  c. forehead sensor.
  d. toe sensor.

Question 2

How should the nurse document an exaggeration of the posterior curvature of the thoracic spine found during the assessment of a 90-year-old patient?
 
  a. Lordosis
  b. Osteoporosis
  c. Scoliosis
  d. Kyphosis

[chevyboi1976]

Answer to Question 1

C
In adults, you can apply reusable and disposable oximeter probes to the earlobe, finger, toe, bridge of the nose, or forehead. For patients with decreased peripheral perfusion, you can apply a forehead sensor. Conditions that decrease arterial blood flow such as peripheral vascular disease, hypothermia, pharmacologic vasoconstrictors, hypotension, or peripheral edema affect accurate determination of oxygen saturation in these areas.

Answer to Question 2

D
Kyphosis is an exaggeration of the posterior curvature of the thoracic spine (hunchback).
Lordosis is an increased lumbar curvature (swayback). Osteoporosis is a metabolic bone disease that causes a decrease in quality and quantity of bone. Scoliosis is a lateral curvature of the spine.