A pregnant patient with a thoracic-level spinal cord injury from ...

[ishan]

A pregnant patient with a thoracic-level spinal cord injury from a skiing accident is confined to a wheelchair for ambulation. What should the nurse encourage the patient to do during pregnancy?
 
  A) Raise the buttocks off the wheelchair seat every hour.
  B) Hold the breath hourly to cause descent of the diaphragm.
  C) Tense abdominal muscles hourly to maintain abdominal tone.
  D) Do pelvic rocking movements every hour to maintain vertebral mobility.

Question 2

After teaching a group of nursing students about variations in newborn head size and appearance, the instructor determines that the teaching was successful
 
  when the students identify which of the following as a normal variation? (Select all that apply.)
  A) Cephalhematoma
  B) Molding
  C) Closed fontanels
  D) Caput succedaneum
  E) Posterior fontanel diameter 1.5 cm

[choc0chan]

Answer to Question 1

A
Feedback:
Patients who use wheelchairs are taught to press the hands against the armrests and lift the buttocks up off the wheelchair seat for 5 seconds every hour to prevent the formation of pressure ulcers on the buttocks and posterior thighs. Encourage a pregnant woman to continue to perform this maneuver during pregnancy because the increased weight of a fetus increases the risk for pressure ulcer formation from additional compression. The nurse should not encourage the pregnant patient to hold the breath, tense abdominal muscles, or do pelvic rocking movements.

Answer to Question 2

A, B, D
Feedback:
Normal variations in newborn head size and appearance include cephalhematoma, molding, and caput succedaneum. Microcephaly, closed fontanels, or a posterior fontanel diameter greater than 1 cm are considered abnormal.