Bleeding from the urethra is known as?

Appeared in: SGPGI Nursing Officer-2022

Explanation

Haematuria is the medical term for the presence of red blood cells in the urine.
Bleeding from any part of the urinary tract, including the kidneys, bladder, or urethra, will result in haematuria.
It can be classified as gross (visible to the naked eye) or microscopic (detected on urinalysis).
Urethral bleeding (urethrorrhagia) is a specific type of bleeding that is a cause of haematuria.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

Option A: Haemoptysis refers to coughing up blood from the respiratory tract (lungs or bronchi), not the urinary tract.
Option C: Malena is the passage of black, tarry stools, which indicates bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract (like the stomach or duodenum).
Option D: A hematoma is a localized collection of blood outside of blood vessels, typically within tissues, causing a bruise or swelling.

Related Visual

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Medical terminology for different types of bleeding as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Accurate identification and documentation of the type of bleeding are critical for diagnosis. Mistaking haematuria for haemoptysis could lead to incorrect investigations and delayed treatment.
In a trauma patient, blood at the urethral meatus is a cardinal sign of urethral injury. In this situation, a urinary catheter should not be inserted until the urethra is evaluated by a specialist, as it can worsen the injury.
What if? If the patient was on anticoagulant therapy (like warfarin or heparin), even minor trauma could cause significant haematuria. The nurse's role would be to check coagulation profiles (INR/PTT) and notify the physician, as the dose may need adjustment.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the key term in the question: 'bleeding from the urethra'.
Recognize that the urethra is part of the urinary system.
Recall the specific medical terms for bleeding from different body systems.
Evaluate each option: 'Haemoptysis' relates to the lungs, 'Malena' to the GI tract, and 'Hematoma' to tissue.
Conclude that 'Haematuria', which means blood in the urine, is the correct term for bleeding that exits through the urethra.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Medical terminology for different types of bleeding.
Stem keywords: Bleeding, urethra
Lead-in keywords: known as

Question ID

QmV6o3w5i11WTYRkYGK6d

Reference Book

E6 Robert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin - Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text of Psychiatry-Wolters Kluwer Health (2024) (pp 1-16525 of 16525) p. 6128-6130

E6 Kaplan Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry-2022 (pp 1-3768 of 3768) p. 1466-1468

E6 Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics(2024) — Volume 2 p. 1020-1022

Practise the full SGPGI Nursing Officer-2022

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.

Attempt this paper Attempt in the NPrep app