Editing Reduction of Risk Potential – LPN Practice Questions (section)

==Question 6==
A client who had a liver biopsy two hours ago reports increasing abdominal pain and pain in the right shoulder. Blood pressure is 92/58 mm Hg and the heart rate is 116 beats per minute. What should the nurse do?
# Reposition the client onto the left side and reassess in one hour.
# Report the findings to the registered nurse immediately and keep the client on bed rest.
# Encourage the client to walk to relieve the gas pain.
# Offer the client a heating pad for the shoulder.

'''Answer:''' Option 2. Report the findings to the registered nurse immediately and keep the client on bed rest.

''Rationale:'' The liver is highly vascular, and hemorrhage is the major complication of liver biopsy. Increasing abdominal pain, referred right shoulder pain, hypotension, and tachycardia together suggest bleeding and require immediate reporting. The client remains on bed rest, usually positioned on the right side to apply pressure to the biopsy site. Options 1, 3, and 4 delay recognition of a life-threatening complication.