Which maneuver is performed to assess for acute cholecystitis?

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Prepare for the AANP Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Test with our flashcards and multiple choice questions. Each question includes hints and explanations. Ensure success on your exam!

Murphy's Maneuver is specifically designed to assess for acute cholecystitis by evaluating tenderness in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen during inhalation. When performing this maneuver, the clinician places their hand under the patient's right rib cage and instructs the patient to take a deep breath. If the patient experiences sharp pain upon inhalation and stops breathing in due to that pain, it suggests the presence of inflammation of the gallbladder, which is characteristic of acute cholecystitis.

Other signs listed do not relate to the assessment of gallbladder inflammation. Brudzinski's sign and Kernig's sign are used to assess meningeal irritation, while Turner's sign indicates possible intra-abdominal bleeding. These maneuvers are important in their respective contexts, but they do not provide information related to gallbladder pathology. Thus, the selection of Murphy's Maneuver is appropriate for diagnosing acute cholecystitis.