{"id":137768,"date":"2024-09-13T14:32:39","date_gmt":"2024-09-13T14:32:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/learnexams.com\/blog\/?p=137768"},"modified":"2024-09-13T14:32:42","modified_gmt":"2024-09-13T14:32:42","slug":"a-nurse-is-assessing-a-client-who-has-left-sided-weakness-following-a-stroke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/2024\/09\/13\/a-nurse-is-assessing-a-client-who-has-left-sided-weakness-following-a-stroke\/","title":{"rendered":"A nurse is assessing a client who has left-sided weakness following a stroke"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A nurse is assessing a client who has left-sided weakness following a stroke. Which of the following findings is the nurse’s priority?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A.
The client is consuming 25% of their meals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

B.
The client coughs frequently while eating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

C.
The client’s blood pressure is 142\/94 mm Hg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

D.
The client leans to the left side while sitting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Correct Answer and Explanation is:<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the scenario where a nurse is assessing a client with left-sided weakness following a stroke, the priority finding among the given options is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

B. The client coughs frequently while eating.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Explanation:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When assessing a client with left-sided weakness post-stroke, the primary concern is ensuring their safety, particularly in relation to their ability to eat and swallow safely. Here’s why option B is the priority:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Risk of Aspiration:<\/strong> Frequent coughing while eating can be an indication that the client is at risk for aspiration. Aspiration occurs when food, liquid, or saliva is inhaled into the lungs instead of being swallowed into the stomach. This can lead to serious complications, including aspiration pneumonia, which is a common and severe complication in stroke patients with swallowing difficulties.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Impaired Swallowing (Dysphagia):<\/strong> After a stroke, clients may experience dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing. Left-sided weakness can affect the muscles involved in swallowing, making it challenging for the client to manage food and liquids safely. Coughing during meals is a red flag for dysphagia and potential aspiration risk.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Immediate Action Required:<\/strong> Addressing swallowing difficulties promptly is crucial. If the client is frequently coughing while eating, it\u2019s essential to conduct a thorough swallowing assessment and implement appropriate interventions. These might include adjusting the texture of food, modifying the consistency of liquids, or considering dietary changes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Comparison with Other Options:<\/strong>\n
      \n
    • Option A (25% food consumption):<\/strong> While this indicates poor intake, it is not immediately life-threatening like the risk of aspiration.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Option C (Blood pressure of 142\/94 mm Hg):<\/strong> Elevated blood pressure is concerning but is less urgent than the immediate risk of aspiration. Blood pressure management can be addressed over time.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Option D (Leaning to the left side while sitting):<\/strong> This finding could suggest a balance issue or postural instability, which is important but not as immediately critical as the risk of aspiration.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      Overall, while all findings are important, the priority in this case is the client\u2019s safety during eating. Addressing the coughing and potential aspiration risk is critical to prevent serious respiratory complications.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      A nurse is assessing a client who has left-sided weakness following a stroke. Which of the following findings is the nurse’s priority? A.The client is consuming 25% of their meals. B.The client coughs frequently while eating. C.The client’s blood pressure is 142\/94 mm Hg. D.The client leans to the left side while sitting. The Correct […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-137768","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-exams-certification"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137768","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=137768"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137768\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=137768"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=137768"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=137768"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}