Question

The parents of a 6-week-old boy come to the clinic for evaluation because the infant has been vomiting. The parents report that the vomiting has been increasing in frequency and forcefulness over the last week. The mother says, Sometimes, it seems like it just bursts out of his mouth. A diagnosis of hypertrophic pyloric stenosis is suspected. When performing the physical examination, what would the nurse most likely find?

a) Distended abdomen
b) Decreased bowel sounds
c) Soft and compressible mass in the abdomen
d) Visible peristaltic waves

Answer 1

When evaluating a 6-week-old boy suspected of hypertrophic pyloric stenosis, a nurse would likely observe visible peristaltic waves due to the stomach's forceful contractions.

Step-by-step explanation:

If a nurse suspects the diagnosis of hypertrophic pyloric stenosis in a 6-week-old boy with increasing frequency and forcefulness of vomiting, they would most likely find on physical examination (d) visible peristaltic waves. This is due to the forceful contractions of the stomach trying to push contents through the narrowed pylorus. In addition, an ol_ive-sized mass which is the enlarged pylorus might be palpable in the abdomen, typically near the right costal margin. These are classic signs of pyloric stenosis, where the muscle of the pylorus has thickened, obstructing gastric emptying, and leading to projectile vomiting.