Question

A 66-year-old patient with heart disease requires ampicillin (Principen) IV for an infection. Which overnight change in the patient’s assessment findings is the nurse’s priority?

Answer 1

Correct Answers:

Weight gain of 0.68 kg

Rationale :

🔹 In a patient with heart disease, even a small, rapid weight gain (0.68 kg / ~1.5 lbs overnight) is a priority finding.

🔹 This usually indicates fluid retention, which can signal worsening heart failure or decreased cardiac output.

🔹 Early fluid buildup may progress to pulmonary edema, dyspnea, and decompensated heart failure if not addressed.

🔹 The other findings — potassium 4.0 mEq/L (normal), heart rate 94 regular (within acceptable range), and hemoglobin 10.5 g/dL (low but stable) — are not as immediately threatening.

🔹 Prompt recognition of fluid retention allows for interventions such as adjusting IV fluids, diuretics, or cardiac monitoring.

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Answer 2

Correct Answers:

Cotrimoxazole (Bactrim)
Demeclocycline (Declomycin)

Rationale :

🌞 Cotrimoxazole (Bactrim)

♦️Belongs to the sulfonamide class of antibiotics, which are well-known to cause photosensitivity reactions.

♦️Patients may experience severe sunburns, rashes, or blistering even with limited sun exposure.

♦️The mechanism involves drug-induced skin hypersensitivity to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, leading to DNA damage and exaggerated inflammatory response.

♦️Nurses should educate patients to:

💥Apply broad-spectrum sunscreen (SPF 30 or higher) before going outdoors.

💥Wear protective clothing such as long sleeves and wide-brimmed hats.

💥Avoid sun exposure between 10 AM and 4 PM, when UV radiation is strongest.

♦️This teaching is critical because Bactrim is commonly prescribed for urinary tract infections, skin infections, and Pneumocystis pneumonia, conditions often requiring extended courses of therapy.

🌞 Demeclocycline (Declomycin)

♦️A member of the tetracycline antibiotic family, which is also strongly associated with photosensitivity.

♦️Photosensitivity may present as redness, itching, rash, or blistering after sun exposure. In severe cases, long-term skin damage can occur.

♦️The drug works by inhibiting bacterial protein synthesis but inadvertently makes the skin more reactive to UV light.

♦️Nurses should emphasize the same sun safety precautions as with Bactrim: sunscreen, protective clothing, and limiting peak-time exposure.

♦️Beyond photosensitivity, tetracyclines like demeclocycline should not be taken with milk or antacids, as calcium and magnesium reduce absorption.

♦️Since demeclocycline is sometimes used long-term (e.g., for SIADH management), repeated sun exposure risk becomes a real concern if precautions are not followed.

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Answer 3

Correct Answers:

True

Rationale :

🔹 In the United States, the leading cause of death is heart disease, not cancer.

🔹 Cancer is the second leading cause of death, accounting for a large percentage but still below cardiovascular disease.

🔹 Major contributors to heart disease include hypertension, high cholesterol, obesity, smoking, and diabetes.

🔹 While cancer deaths are significant, public health efforts focus heavily on cardiac prevention strategies since heart disease remains number one.

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Answer 4

Correct Answers:

Drink 2 L/day of fluid

Rationale :

🔹 The first-line management for constipation, especially when related to medications like antidepressants and antihistamines, is lifestyle modification rather than immediate pharmacologic therapy.

🔹 Increasing fluid intake (around 2 liters/day) helps soften stool, making bowel movements easier and reducing straining that worsens hemorrhoids.

🔹 Alongside hydration, nurses also recommend increasing dietary fiber and physical activity, which naturally promote bowel regularity.

🔹 Laxatives such as senna, glycerin, or lactulose are considered second-line measures if conservative therapy is ineffective.

🔹 Starting with fluids addresses the underlying constipation safely and helps prevent dependence on stimulant or osmotic laxatives.

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Answer 5

Correct Answers:

Atomoxetine (Strattera)

Rationale :

🔹 Atomoxetine is a selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) used to treat ADHD.

🔹 Unlike traditional CNS stimulants such as methylphenidate or amphetamines, it does not increase dopamine in the brain’s reward pathway, making it non-addictive.

🔹 It has a slower onset of action but is beneficial for patients at risk of substance use disorder.

🔹 Other listed drugs — ergotamine and sumatriptan (migraine therapies) and phentermine (an appetite suppressant stimulant) — are not used for ADHD, and phentermine carries abuse potential.

🔹 Atomoxetine is therefore preferred when a non-stimulant ADHD option is necessary.

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Answer 6

Correct Answers:

Complete blood count

Rationale :

💥Linezolid (Zyvox) is an oxazolidinone antibiotic used for resistant infections like MRSA and VRE.

💥A serious complication of linezolid therapy is bone marrow suppression, leading to thrombocytopenia, anemia, or leukopenia.

💥Monitoring the complete blood count (CBC) helps detect these complications early and guides dose adjustments or discontinuation.

💥Alkaline phosphatase relates to liver function, serum creatinine to kidney function, and peak/trough levels are unnecessary since linezolid dosing is not guided by drug levels.

💥Regular CBC monitoring (weekly in long-term therapy) is the best way to prevent severe hematologic adverse effects.

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Answer 7

Correct Answers:

4.8

Rationale :

Step 1: Convert weight to kilograms

140 lb ÷ 2.2 = 63.6 kg (rounded to one decimal place).

Step 2: Calculate ordered dose

Ordered: 0.15 mg/kg IV

0.15 × 63.6 = 9.54 mg

Step 3: Determine concentration of supply

Supply: 2 mg/mL

Step 4: Calculate volume to administer

Volume = Dose ÷ Concentration

9.54 mg ÷ 2 mg/mL = 4.77 mL

Step 5: Round to one decimal place

4.8 mL

✅ Final Answer: 4.8 mL

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Answer 8

Correct Answers:

Bicarbonate

Rationale :

🔹 Bicarbonate is secreted by the epithelial cells of the stomach lining and plays a key role in neutralizing gastric acid, thereby altering the pH balance at the mucosal surface.

🔹 This protective layer helps maintain the stomach lining at a near-neutral pH, even though gastric juice itself is highly acidic (pH 1–2).

🔹 By buffering hydrogen ions (H+), bicarbonate prevents acid-mediated injury, ulceration, and erosion of the gastric mucosa.

🔹 Other protective factors like mucus act as a physical barrier, but bicarbonate directly alters pH.

🔹 Enzymes such as amylase and pepsin are involved in digestion, not in protection.

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Answer 9

Correct Answers:

Evening

Rationale :

🔹 HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) work by inhibiting the enzyme involved in cholesterol synthesis.

🔹 The body synthesizes the majority of cholesterol during the nighttime hours, so administering statins in the evening maximizes their effectiveness.

🔹 This timing is especially important for short-acting statins (e.g., simvastatin, lovastatin, fluvastatin).

🔹 Some longer-acting statins (e.g., atorvastatin, rosuvastatin) may be taken at any time of day, but evening dosing remains a common teaching point.

🔹 Evening administration helps achieve better lipid-lowering outcomes by aligning drug action with the body’s natural cholesterol production cycle.

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Answer 10

Correct Answers:

Reverses the respiratory depression that occurs with CNS-depressing drugs (e.g., opioids, alcohol, sedatives)

Rationale :

🔹 Naloxone (Narcan) is a pure opioid antagonist that works by competitively binding to opioid receptors, displacing opioids such as morphine, heroin, or fentanyl.

🔹 Its primary therapeutic use is to rapidly reverse respiratory depression, sedation, and hypotension caused by opioid overdose.

🔹 It does not relieve pain and will actually block analgesia produced by opioids.

🔹 In patients who are physically dependent on opioids, naloxone can indeed precipitate withdrawal symptoms, but its intended action is reversal of life-threatening respiratory depression.

🔹 Because it reverses both analgesic and respiratory effects of opioids, careful monitoring is required after administration.

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☑️Rn Pharmacology

No.

1 :
A 66-year-old patient with heart disease requires ampicillin (Principen) IV for an infection. Which overnight change in the patient’s assessment findings is the nurse’s priority?

2 :
The nurse instructs a patient taking which antibiotic(s) to wear sunscreen and a hat and to avoid the sun between 10 AM and 4 PM? (Select all that apply.)

3 :
Cancer: First cause of death in USA

4 :
A patient who takes several antidepressants and cetirizine (Zyrtek) complains to the nurse about experiencing hemorrhoids as a result of chronic constipation. Which instruction should the nurse include in patient teaching for initial therapy?

5 :
Which CNS stimulant is not addictive?

6 :
Which laboratory parameter should the nurse monitor in a patient taking linezolid (Zyvox) to prevent a serious complication of therapy?

8 :
Which endogenous protective factor of the gastric mucosa alters the pH balance of the stomach?

9 :
Hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors (statins) are generally admistered at which time of day?

10 :
Naloxone (Narcan) induces which one of the following responses?

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☑️Rn Pharmacology

No.

1 : A 66-year-old patient with heart disease requires ampicillin (Principen) IV for an infection. Which overnight change in the patient’s assessment findings is the nurse’s priority?

2 : The nurse instructs a patient taking which antibiotic(s) to wear sunscreen and a hat and to avoid the sun between 10 AM and 4 PM? (Select all that apply.)

3 : Cancer: First cause of death in USA

4 : A patient who takes several antidepressants and cetirizine (Zyrtek) complains to the nurse about experiencing hemorrhoids as a result of chronic constipation. Which instruction should the nurse include in patient teaching for initial therapy?

5 : Which CNS stimulant is not addictive?

6 : Which laboratory parameter should the nurse monitor in a patient taking linezolid (Zyvox) to prevent a serious complication of therapy?

8 : Which endogenous protective factor of the gastric mucosa alters the pH balance of the stomach?

9 : Hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors (statins) are generally admistered at which time of day?

10 : Naloxone (Narcan) induces which one of the following responses?

1 :
A 66-year-old patient with heart disease requires ampicillin (Principen) IV for an infection. Which overnight change in the patient’s assessment findings is the nurse’s priority?

2 :
The nurse instructs a patient taking which antibiotic(s) to wear sunscreen and a hat and to avoid the sun between 10 AM and 4 PM? (Select all that apply.)

3 :
Cancer: First cause of death in USA

4 :
A patient who takes several antidepressants and cetirizine (Zyrtek) complains to the nurse about experiencing hemorrhoids as a result of chronic constipation. Which instruction should the nurse include in patient teaching for initial therapy?

5 :
Which CNS stimulant is not addictive?

6 :
Which laboratory parameter should the nurse monitor in a patient taking linezolid (Zyvox) to prevent a serious complication of therapy?

8 :
Which endogenous protective factor of the gastric mucosa alters the pH balance of the stomach?

9 :
Hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors (statins) are generally admistered at which time of day?

10 :
Naloxone (Narcan) induces which one of the following responses?