Your pregnant patient is having maternal alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) ...

[codyclark]

Your pregnant patient is having maternal alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) screening. She does not understand how a test on her blood can indicate a birth defect in the fetus. The best reply by the nurse is:
 
  a. We have done this test for a long time.b. If babies have a neural tube defect, alpha-fetoprotein leaks out of the fetus and is absorbed into your blood, causing your level to rise. This serum blood test detects that rise.c. Neural tube defects are a genetic anomaly, and we examine the amount of alpha-fetoprotein in your DNA.d. If babies have a neural tube defect, this results in a decrease in your level of alpha-fetoprotein.

Question 2

The primary complications of amniocentesis are:
 
  a. Damage to fetal organsb. Puncture of umbilical cordc. Maternal paind. Infection

[elizabethrperez]

Answer to Question 1

ANS: b
Feedback
a. This response does not explain AFP screening.
b. When a neural tube defect is present, AFP is absorbed in the maternal circulation, resulting in a rise in the maternal AFP level.
c. AFP testing is not related to DNA.
d. Fetal neural tube defects result in an increase in maternal AFP.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: d
Feedback
a. Amniocentesis is done under ultrasound guidance, and damage to fetal organs is very rare.
b. Amniocentesis is done under ultrasound guidance, and damage to the umbilical cord is very rare.
c. Amniocentesis is done under local anesthesia, and maternal pain is generally minimal.
d. Amniocentesis involves insertion of a needle into the amniotic sac, and infection is the primary complication.

[codyclark]

Excellent

[scottmt]

TYSM