Page 1035 - Saunders Comprehensive Review For NCLEX-RN

kissed.
3. Dehydration and electrolyte imbalances can occur,
especially during hyperthermic conditions.
E. Reproductive system
1. Cystic fibrosis can delay puberty in girls.
2. Fertility can be inhibited by the highly viscous cervical
secretions, which act as a plug and block sperm entry.
3. Males are usually sterile (but not impotent), caused by
the blockage of the vas deferens by abnormal
secretions or by failure of normal development of
duct structures.
F. Diagnostic tests

1. Quantitative sweat chloride test is positive (see

Box 35-7).

2. Newborn screening may be done in some

states and may consist of immunoreactive
trypsinogen analysis and direct DNA analysis for
mutant genes.
3. Chest x-ray reveals atelectasis and obstructive
emphysema.
4. Pulmonary function tests provide evidence of
abnormal small airway function.
5. Stool, fat, enzyme analysis: A 72-hour stool sample is
collected to check the fat or enzyme (trypsin) content,
or both (food intake is recorded during the collection).

G. Interventions: Respiratory system

1. Goals of treatment include preventing and treating
pulmonary infection by improving aeration,
removing secretions, and administering antibiotic
medications as prescribed.
2. Monitor respiratory status, including lung sounds and
the presence and characteristics of a cough.
3. Chest physiotherapy (percussion and postural
drainage) on awakening and in the evening (more
frequently during pulmonary infection) needs to be
done every day to maintain pulmonary hygiene; chest
physiotherapy should not be performed before or
immediately after a meal.
4. A Flutter mucus clearance device (a small, handheld
plastic pipe with a stainless-steel ball on the inside)
facilitates the removal of mucus and may be
prescribed (store away from small children, because if
the device separates, the steel ball poses a choking
hazard).

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