Ch. 44 Connective Tissue Disorders/ Med-surg 8th edition

A 51-year-old professional tennis instructor is newly diagnosed with osteoarthritis. Which is the nurse’s best explanation to the patient when asked what this diagnosis means?

• Presence of antibodies in the synovial fluid

• Dislocation of the patella over the tibia

• Degeneration of articular cartilage

• Body’s autoimmune response

A nurse explains to a patient with rheumatoid arthritis that the drug leflunomide (Arava) is a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD). Which action of this medication is correct?

• Retards the progress of the disease

• Builds new bone

• Decreases inflammation

• Increases flexibility

A nurse is caring for a patient with osteoarthritis. Which is the best recommendation by the nurse to this patient to control chronic pain?

• Administer analgesics only when needed.

• Administer analgesics as prescribed on a routine basis.

• Plan activities with no rest periods to complete the activities quickly.

• Wear high-heeled shoes to keep the body in alignment.

A home health care nurse is visiting a patient after a total hip replacement. Which information should the nurse include when teaching the patient how to protect the new joint?

• Put an extension on the toilet seat.

• Keep the legs crossed when at rest.

• Frequently change positions from side to side.

• Slowly pull the knee to the chest twice a day to stretch the hip abductors.

After a knee replacement, an 87-year-old patient rejects the use of the continuous passive motion (CPM) machine, saying, “I did not march when I was a child, and I am not marching now.” Which benefits of CPM should the nurse point out to encourage the patient to use this machine?

• Decrease in pain

• Increase in circulation in the new joint

• Increase in leg strength

• Increase in flexibility for the new joint

Which body structures do connective tissue diseases affect?

• Bones, ligaments, cartilage, and tendons

• Bones, ligaments, and tendons

• Spurs, ligaments, cartilage, and tendons

• Tendons, cartilage, and tophi

Which patient is most likely to develop a connective tissue disease?

• A teenage girl who swims

• A 30-year-old woman who plays tennis

• A 35-year-old male golfer

• A 40-year-old male computer analyst

Which statement is true regarding connective tissue function?

• Helps provide a source of storage for calcium

• Stores hormones in the pores of bone tissue

• Controls the distribution of minerals

• Provides protection to body parts

Which characteristic should a nurse recognize as diagnostic of rheumatoid arthritis?

• Absence of pain

• Symmetric bilateral joint swelling

• Evening stiffness that improves with activity

• Increased appetite

A patient asks why systemic glucocorticoid medications are used as the last choice for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Which reply by the nurse is the most informative?

• The other drugs are just as effective and work in similar ways.

• They are used as a last choice or for short periods because they have many side effects.

• Those drugs are given three or four times daily, which is more difficult for patients.