Bleeding for Certified Emergency Nursing (CEN)

The most common causes of upper GI bleeding include:

Which diagnostic test would the nurse anticipate for a patient with lower gastrointestinal bleeding?

A 61-year-old man is transferred to the ED by ambulance from his physician’s office with a diagnosis of a possible abdominal aortic aneurysm. When eliciting the patient’s history, the nurse keeps in mind that one of the most common factors predisposing a patient to abdominal aortic aneurysm is:

The patient’s abdominal X-ray reveals a fusiform infrarenal non-dissecting aortic aneurysm. Which nursing diagnosis would be the highest priority for this patient?

The nurse knows that such abdominal emergencies as obstruction, perforation, and acute intractable hemorrhage are typically treated by:

A patient is admitted to the ED after a high-speed, head-on automobile accident. He is conscious and alert; his skin is cool and dry. Vital signs are: BP 110/70 mmHg, pulse rate 100 beats/minute, and respirations 24 breaths/minute. The on-scene paramedic reports severe front-end damage to the car and a broken steering wheel. After assessing the patient’s airway, breathing, and circulation, the nurse’s primary concern would be to:

Lower GI bleeding is characterized by bleeding from:

The patient’s BP suddenly drops to 88/60 mmHg and his pulse increases to 130 beats/minute. After administration of 500 mL of Lactated Ringer’s solution, the patient’s BP increases to 100/70 mmHg and his pulse rate decreases to 100 beats/minute. The nurse’s priority at this time would be to:

In assessing the patient’s health status, the nurse should know that hematemesis is most commonly caused by:

The nurse knows that a patient on long-term anticoagulant therapy must be carefully monitored for potential hemorrhagic complications that most commonly affect the: