Author Question: A 42-year-old male patient complains of shoulder pain when the nurse moves his arm behind the back. ... (Read 59 times)

xroflmao · **on:** Jun 25, 2018

A 42-year-old male patient complains of shoulder pain when the nurse moves his arm behind the back. Which question should the nurse ask?

a. Are you able to feed yourself without difficulty?
b. Do you have difficulty when you are putting on a shirt?
c. Are you able to sleep through the night without waking?
d. Do you ever have trouble lowering yourself to the toilet?

Question 2

In which order will the nurse perform the following actions when caring for a patient with possible C5 spinal cord trauma who is admitted to the emergency department? (Put a comma and a space between each answer choice A, B, C, D, E.)

a. Infuse normal saline at 150 mL/hr.
b. Monitor cardiac rhythm and blood pressure.
c. Administer O2 using a non-rebreather mask.
d. Immobilize the patient's head, neck, and spine.
e. Transfer the patient to radiology for spinal computed tomography (CT).

strudel15 · **Reply #1 on:** Jun 25, 2018

Answer to Question 1

ANS: B
The patient's pain will make it more difficult to accomplish tasks like putting on a shirt or jacket. This pain should not affect the patient's ability to feed himself or use the toilet because these tasks do not involve moving the arm behind the patient. The arm will not usually be positioned behind the patient during sleeping.

Answer to Question 2

ANS:
D, C, B, A, E
The first action should be to prevent further injury by stabilizing the patient's spinal cord if the patient does not have penetrating trauma. Maintenance of oxygenation by administration of 100 O2 is the second priority. Because neurogenic shock is a possible complication, monitoring of heart rhythm and BP are indicated, followed by infusing normal saline for volume replacement. A CT scan to determine the extent and level of injury is needed once initial assessment and stabilization are accomplished.