Question

Nurse is assessing patient who is receiving morphine via a PCA pump. Which of the following findings indicates an adverse effect of the medication.

A. Frequent coughing
B. Increased bowel sounds
C. Urinary retention
D. Pupillary dilation

Answer 1

Urinary retention is an adverse effect of morphine use. Morphine can reduce the responsiveness of the bladder's detrusor muscle, which may lead to difficulty in urination, this is not to be confused with diuretic effects which increase urination.

Step-by-step explanation:

A nurse is assessing a patient who is receiving morphine via a PCA pump. Among the listed findings, urinary retention indicates an adverse effect of the medication. Morphine and other opioids can lead to decreased responsiveness of the detrusor muscle, which controls the bladder, thus inhibiting urination. The possible side effects of medications that act on the urinary system, such as increased urination frequency, are typically associated with diuretics, not opioids. An example of a diuretic effect might include a medication working on the Loop of Henle, affecting the reabsorption of Na+ and Cl-, but this is separate from the opioid-induced urinary retention.