Question

The patient is admitted with constipation. In anticipation of treatment, the nurse prepares to:

a.give medications that will suppress the autonomic nervous system.
b.provide therapies that will innervate the autonomic nervous system.
c.teach the patient that the submucosa is the innermost part of the gut wall.
d.give medications intravenously because the submucosa has no blood vessels.

Answer 1

The nurse would provide therapies to innervate the autonomic nervous system, particularly the parasympathetic division, to increase GI secretion and motility in anticipation of treating constipation.

Step-by-step explanation:

In anticipation of treating a patient with constipation, the nurse would prepare to provide therapies that will innervate the autonomic nervous system, particularly the parasympathetic division, to increase gastrointestinal (GI) secretion and motility. This is because the enteric nervous system, which is intrinsic to the alimentary canal, is responsible for regulating the gut's motility and secretions, and it works in conjunction with the autonomic nervous system. The submucosal plexus, specifically within the submucosa, regulates the activity of glands and smooth muscle, and contrary to options c and d, it is filled with blood vessels that allow for nutrient transport as well as a nerve supply.

Therapies might include the administration of medications that are either cholinergic (mimicking the effect of the parasympathetic nervous system) or drugs that directly stimulate the enteric nervous system's action on the GI tract. In contrast to suppressing the autonomic nervous system, which would exacerbate constipation, the focus is on therapies that enhance it to combat the condition.