Practice Question
The nurse, working in labor and delivery, performs a sterile vaginal exam on a laboring woman. During the exam, she feels a loop of pulsating cord in the vagina. The nurse would anticipate: Select one:
Answer Choices:
Correct Answer:
With a sterile glove, maintaining pressure to lift the presenting part and emergently notifying the provider for a STAT C-section.
Rationale:
🔴 Feeling a loop of pulsating umbilical cord during a vaginal exam confirms a diagnosis of prolapsed cord, a life-threatening obstetric emergency.
🔴 The immediate and priority action is to use a sterile gloved hand to elevate the presenting fetal part off the cord, thereby restoring blood flow and oxygen to the fetus.
🔴 Simultaneously, the nurse must call for help and notify the provider immediately to prepare for an emergency cesarean delivery, which is the only definitive treatment.
🔴 While oxygen and positioning can help optimize maternal-fetal oxygenation, they do not replace manual relief of cord compression as the first action.
🔴 Delaying intervention can result in fetal hypoxia, acidosis, or death due to umbilical cord occlusion.
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This question is from RN ATI Maternity Exam III which contains 55 questions.
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Question Details
- Category: RN Nursing Exam(s)
- Subcategory: ATI Exam(s)
- Domain: RN ATI Maternal & Newborn Care
- Answer Choices: 4