A few days after Javier, the home care nurse, visited Larry in his home, Larry became nauseous, bloated, and had abdominal pain. He took an over-the-counter laxative and went to bed. Around 2:00 AM Larry woke with severe abdominal pain. He noticed that his belly was larger than normal, hard, and painful to touch. He felt if he could have a bowel movement, he would feel better. Once Larry was in the bathroom, he began to vomit and passed out from the abdominal pain. His mother heard him and ran to his side, finding him unconscious. She called for an ambulance.

·         Larry arrives in the emergency department of the hospital with vomiting and severe abdominal pain. Which nursing assessment questions does the nurse ask?

·         The nurse receives an order to insert a nasogastric (NG) tube. Once the NG is in place, how does the nurse determine if it is indeed in the stomach?

·         Which additional diagnostic test does the emergency department nurse anticipate that Larry would have?