The absence of bowel sounds is established after listening for:
2 full minutes.
1 full minute.
5 full mutes.
1 1/2 minutes.
The Correct Answer is C
A. 2 full minutes: Listening for 2 minutes is insufficient to determine the absence of bowel sounds reliably.
B. 1 full minute: One minute is also too brief, as bowel sounds can sometimes be infrequent, especially in certain conditions.
C. 5 full minutes. The absence of bowel sounds is confirmed after listening in each quadrant for a minimum of 5 full minutes. This is necessary to ensure that the lack of sounds is not due to temporary decreased activity and is instead a true absence, which may indicate a medical emergency like a bowel obstruction.
D. 1 1/2 minutes: This time is not long enough to confirm the absence of bowel sounds accurately.
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Correct Answer is A
Explanation
A. Postural hypotension: Postural hypotension (a drop-in blood pressure when moving to a standing position) is a common sign of extracellular fluid volume deficit due to decreased circulating blood volume.
B. Dependent edema: This occurs with fluid volume excess, not deficit, due to fluid accumulation in tissues.
C. Bradycardia: Fluid volume deficit often leads to tachycardia as the body compensates for low blood volume, rather than a slow heart rate.
D. Distended neck veins: Distended neck veins suggest fluid overload, not a fluid deficit.
Correct Answer is C
Explanation
A. Percussion, inspection, palpation, auscultation: This sequence could disturb bowel sounds by percussing before auscultation, making it difficult to assess them accurately.
B. Inspection, palpation, percussion, auscultation: Palpating before auscultating can alter bowel sounds, so it’s not the correct order.
C. Inspection, auscultation, percussion, palpation: This sequence is recommended for abdominal assessment to avoid altering bowel sounds. Inspection is done first to observe any visible abnormalities, followed by auscultation to listen to bowel sounds before palpating or percussing, which could disrupt the sounds.
D. Auscultation, inspection, palpation, percussion: Inspection should always be first, making this option incorrect as it begins with auscultation.