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NCLEX QUESTION TYPE TUTORIAL
The nurse is providing teaching to a client diagnosed with cirrhosis. Which statement does the nurse provide that explains the main cause of the liver function failure?
First, it makes sense to recall what you know about the diagnosis the teaching is supposed to be about.
Answer that for yourself before you look at the answer choices.
Cirrhosis is a late stage of scarring (fibrosis) in the liver that develops after years of chronic liver disease. The most common causes are chronic hepatitis B or C and alcohol-induced liver disease. Cirrhosis has a large number of signs and symptoms across body systems.
It is true that cirrhosis leads to the scarring of liver tissue, which impairs the liver’s ability to filter toxins from the blood effectively. Because this is a true statement, let’s not immediately rule out this answer.
This answer can be eliminated. Cirrhosis does not increase bile production, so this can not be the cause for liver function failure. On the contrary: decreased bile production is a symptom of liver failure.
We know that cirrhosis does impede blood flow, so we can leave this answer in for now.
This answer can be eliminated. Here, it is vital to read the answer attentively: New red blood cells are produced in the bone marrow, not the liver. The liver merely helps clean out old blood cells, it does not produce red blood cells. So, this answer is a wrong statement and can be eliminated.
Between answer A and answer C, it comes down to what the main cause of liver function failure really is.
The content of answer A (“Cirrhosis causes the liver to not filter or detoxify the blood.”) is correct, but this is not the cause of liver failure – it is the result of liver failure.
Answer C really expresses how cirrhosis causes liver failure: cirrhosis comes with scarring and changes in the shape of the liver that impede proper blood flow, causing issues in the entire portal system and keeping the liver from functioning properly. Cirrhosis impeding blood flow is the main cause of liver function failure and C is the correct answer.
Some answer choices might have hidden hurdles for you to trap over, such as answer option D here – if you only perceive “something about blood + liver function,” you might not rule out this distractor and not notice it claims the liver created red blood cells. Take enough time with each answer choice to be confident it not only fits the question as an answer, but also is based on correct assumptions.
On the other hand, make sure to think through how well an answer choice answers the exact question – its assumptions/statement may be true on its own, but not actually answer the question asked.
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