Question

The nurse is performing a gestational age and physical assessment. The infant appears to have an excessive amount of saliva. The nurse recognizes this finding as what?

a) Normal finding
b) Respiratory distress
c) Gastrointestinal anomaly
d) Neurological deficit

Answer 1

Excessive saliva observed in an infant during a gestational age and physical assessment by a nurse is typically a normal finding. Such a presentation on its own, without other symptoms, is not indicative of respiratory distress, gastrointestinal anomalies, or neurological deficits.

Step-by-step explanation:

When a nurse performs a gestational age and physical assessment and observes an infant with an excessive amount of saliva, this finding is a normal finding. During the neurological exam, inspection of the oral cavity and pharynx is used to inspect tissues and test the functions of the cranial nerves. An excessive amount of saliva in infants can sometimes be a result of normal stimulation of the salivary glands, especially since infants have a tendency to drool due to immature muscle control around their mouth. While other symptoms would be necessary to suspect conditions such as a respiratory distress, gastrointestinal anomaly, or a neurological deficit, excessive saliva alone in an otherwise healthy-appearing infant typically does not indicate these conditions.