Madam Efua, aged 50, has a history of cirrhosis and a swollen abdomen. The nurse taps one flank while an assistant presses on the midline and feels a wave on the opposite flank. This finding is called:

Here are the solutions to the multiple-choice questions:

1. Mr Kojo Addo, a 45-year-old taxi driver in Kumasi, is admitted with right iliac fossa pain. The nurse plans an abdominal examination. Which sequence is CORRECT?

The correct sequence for an abdominal examination is inspection, auscultation, percussion, and then palpation. Auscultation is performed before percussion and palpation to avoid altering bowel sounds.

• B) Inspection, auscultation, percussion, palpation

2. During examination of a woman with abdominal pain, the nurse hears no bowel sounds after listening for two minutes in one quadrant. What should the nurse do next?

To confirm the absence of bowel sounds, the nurse must listen for a longer period, typically up to five minutes in each quadrant, before concluding that bowel sounds are truly absent.

• C) Keep listening for up to five minutes before deciding

3. Madam Efua, aged 50, has a history of cirrhosis and a swollen abdomen. The nurse taps one flank while an assistant presses on the midline and feels a wave on the opposite flank. This finding is called:

This describes the fluid wave test, which is used to detect ascites, a common complication of cirrhosis where fluid accumulates in the peritoneal cavity.

• D) A fluid wave, which suggests ascites