Question

a child with liver cirrhosis is admitted to the acute care facility in preparation for a liver transplant. what finding(s) would the nurse document after completing this child's assessment? select all that apply.

Answer 1

The nurse would document findings such as ascites, signs of hepatic encephalopathy, jaundice, and abnormalities in liver function tests in a child with liver cirrhosis preparing for a liver transplant.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question concerns a child with liver cirrhosis who is being assessed by a nurse in preparation for a liver transplant. Upon completing the assessment, a nurse would document a range of findings that are common in patients with cirrhosis, especially in children. These findings could include:

• Swollen abdomen due to ascites, which is fluid accumulation in the abdominal cavity and is common in cirrhosis patients.
• Symptoms of hepatic encephalopathy, such as confusion, stupor, or coma due to the liver's inability to filter toxins from the blood.
• Physical signs of liver dysfunction, such as jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes), dark urine, pale-colored stools, or an enlarged spleen.
• Abnormalities in liver function tests including elevated levels of alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), direct bilirubin, total bilirubin, and changes in serum albumin and total protein levels.

Additionally, the nurse might observe symptoms of pediatric liver diseases that could have led to cirrhosis, such as biliary atresia, alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, alagille syndrome, and progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis.