Family Nurse Practitioner Practice Exam

Murphy's sign is a clinical maneuver used to assess for gallbladder inflammation or cholecystitis. The characteristic sign associated with Murphy's sign involves pain on inspiration when the examiner palpates the right upper quadrant of the abdomen. When the patient inhales deeply, the diaphragm moves downward, causing the liver and gallbladder to descend. If the gallbladder is inflamed, this movement will elicit significant pain, resulting in the patient often halting the breath or expressing discomfort.

This sign is particularly indicative of acute cholecystitis. The presence of pain during inspiration is a typical response due to the irritation of the surrounding tissues.

In relation to the remaining choices, pain on palpation may occur in various abdominal conditions but is not specific to Murphy's sign. The absence of the red reflex is unrelated to gallbladder evaluation and pertains more to ophthalmological assessments. Rebound tenderness is also a general finding indicating peritoneal irritation but is not specific to Murphy's sign either. Thus, the key characteristic that defines Murphy's sign is indeed pain experienced during inspiration.