Difficulty: Medium
Average Score: 73%
Simulated
Passage / Scenario
Nurses' NotesVital Signs
Laboratory Results
Day 1, 1000:
The client reports mid abdominal pain. Client reports pain as 7 on a scale of 0 to 10. The client states, "I haven't had a bowel movement in 4 days." The client states, "I also have vomited once or twice."
Physical Exam:
General: uncomfortable, grimacing
HEENT: dry mucous membranes
Cardiovascular: S1, S2, no murmur
Respiratory: bilateral breath sounds clear
Gastrointestinal: tenderness to palpation, high-pitched bowel sounds
Skin: no jaundice noted
Social history: drinks 1 to 2 glasses of wine daily. Client reports no tobacco use.
The nurse is assisting with the care of a client. For each finding, click to specify if the finding is consistent with small bowel obstruction or acute pancreatitis. Each finding may support more than 1 disease process.
Correct answer
A (small bowel obstruction, acute pancreatitis), B (acute pancreatitis), C (neither), D (acute pancreatitis), E (small bowel obstruction, acute pancreatitis), F (small bowel obstruction)
Rationale
Pain level and abdominal findings (tenderness, high-pitched bowel sounds) support small bowel obstruction and acute pancreatitis; social history (alcohol use) and lipase support pancreatitis; WBC count supports both; skin findings (no jaundice) support neither.