Practice Question
A nurse in the emergency department is caring for a toddler.
Answer Choices:
Rationale:
📌A. Keep the child NPO (nothing by mouth)
🔹 Why it's FIRST:
🔺The child has excessive drooling, gagging, and confirmed esophageal foreign body—likely a button battery.
🔺NPO status is immediately required to prevent aspiration if sedation is used and to avoid worsening esophageal damage.
🔹 Risks of not doing this:
🔺Giving fluids/food could lead to aspiration pneumonia.
🔺The foreign body may shift and obstruct the airway or cause perforation.
🔹 Nursing role:
🔺Enforce NPO as soon as ingestion is suspected.
🔺Inform the team of last oral intake.
🔺 Educate caregivers not to give anything, including the "sippy cup" requested by the child.
🔹 Clinical reasoning:
🔺Button batteries can cause burns and perforation within 2 hours due to electric current and alkaline leakage.
This is a medical emergency, requiring surgical planning without delay.
📌Prepare the child for flexible endoscopy
🔸 Why it's NEXT:
🔺Once NPO is confirmed, the nurse should immediately prepare the child for an urgent endoscopic removal.
🔺Flexible endoscopy is the safest, most effective method to locate and retrieve the foreign object.
🔸 Preparation steps include:
🔸 IV access, vital signs, and medication readiness (for sedation).
🔸 Support the child and comfort the caregiver.
🔸 Ensure the provider obtains informed consent.
🔸 Complete pre-procedure safety checks.
🔸 Why it matters:
🔺Delay in removal increases risk of esophageal erosion, fistula, or airway compromise.
🔺The nurse facilitates urgent coordination for this lifesaving procedure.
Want to practice more questions like this?
This question is from RN ATI Pediatric Nursing~2023 B which contains 69 questions.
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Question Details
- Category: RN Nursing Exam(s)
- Subcategory: ATI Exam(s)
- Domain: RN ATI Pediatrics
- Answer Choices: 0