Review Questions
1.
a.
Bile, secreted by the liver, aids in digestion by breaking down fats into fatty acids; therefore, the client may need to limit intake of dietary fat.
2.
b.
Gastritis, the irritation and inflammation of the lining of the stomach, can result in bleeding.
3.
b.
Saliva helps moisten food to make it easier to swallow. The salivary glands produce about 2 L of saliva every day to help keep the oral cavity, including the buccal membranes, moist.
4.
c.
A dysfunctional upper esophageal sphincter may allow food or fluid to enter the airway when the client swallows.
5.
a.
Because the small intestine is responsible for absorbing nutrients, the client will need vitamin and mineral supplements.
6.
c.
Lipase is involved in the breakdown of fats and the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins. This means the client will have deficient levels of vitamin K, a fat-soluble vitamin.
7.
d.
Intestinal villi are highly vascular and line the entire small intestine to accomplish most of the digestion and absorption processes. Therefore, dysfunctional villi may lead to malabsorption and nutritional deficiencies.
8.
b.
When assessing a client’s gastrointestinal system, the nurse should ask whether the client has had any unintended weight gain or loss. A change in weight may be due to factors affecting the appetite or the ingestion, digestion, or absorption of nutrients.
10.
a.
When prostaglandin E2 is not sufficient to prevent gastritis, medications such as antacids may be needed to reduce or eliminate symptoms.