Bleeding for Certified Emergency Nursing (CEN)

In a patient with prolonged bleeding, anemia is a potential complication. The nurse assesses for anemia by noting signs of pallor in the patient’s:

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:

An elderly man is brought to the ED by his daughter after an episode of rectal bleeding. After initial treatment in the ED, the patient will probably be:

Results of a diagnostic peritoneal lavage may be falsely negative in a patient with a:

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:

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

The most common causes of upper GI bleeding include:

Which assessment finding would be typical for a patient with an abdominal aortic aneurysm?

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

A 38-year-old stockbroker is brought to the ED by a coworker after experiencing an episode of severe weakness after a business luncheon. Although the patient claims to have no medical or surgical history, he admits to taking large amounts of liquid antacids to calm his stomach. He has had several episodes of bloody vomitus within the past 3 to 4 days. The physician diagnoses the patient as having upper GI bleeding. Which nursing intervention would be most helpful in determining the cause of the patient’s bleeding?