A patient is scheduled for a computerized tomography (CT) scan. Which of the following is an appropriate statement by the nurse?

Explanation

• If a dye is used, the patient may feel flushed and warm when the dye is injected, but it is not painful.

• During the procedure, the patient lies still on a table that moves into a doughnut-shaped x-ray device called a gantry. The gantry uses multiple x-ray beams and detectors that rotate and produce cross-sectional views in three dimensions. The machine may be noisy.

• CT scanning has a high degree of sensitivity for detecting tumors.

• Incorrect: The patient is not exposed to a magnetic field in a CT scan.

• Incorrect: The patient is not required to lie still for an hour after the scan, he/she only needs to lie still for the duration of the scan.

• Incorrect: It is not required for a patient to drink eight glasses of water before a CT scan. If an abdominal CT is ordered, the patient likely needs to be NPO for at least four hours prior to the scan and may be required to drink oral contrast before the procedure. For a CT scan of any other part of the body, the patient is not required to be NPO and does not have to drink oral contrast.

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