Exam 19: Postoperative Care

An experienced nurse orients a new nurse to the postanesthesia care unit (PACU). Which action by the new nurse,if observed by the experienced nurse,indicates that the orientation was successful?

After receiving change-of-shift report about these postoperative patients,which patient should the nurse assess first?

A patient's blood pressure in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU)has dropped from an admission blood pressure of 140/86 to 102/60 mm Hg with a pulse change of 70 to 96 beats/min. SpO? is 92% on 3 L of oxygen. In which order should the nurse take these actions? (Put a comma and a space between each answer choice [A,B,C,D].)

A patient is transferred from the postanesthesia care unit (PACU)to the clinical unit. Which action by the nurse on the clinical unit should be performed first?

Which action could the postanesthesia care unit (PACU)nurse delegate to unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP)who help to transport a patient to the clinical unit?

On admission of a patient to the postanesthesia care unit (PACU),the blood pressure (BP)is 122/72 mm Hg. Thirty minutes after admission,the BP is 114/62,with a pulse of 74 and warm,dry skin. Which action by the nurse is most appropriate?

Which finding would indicate to the nurse that a postoperative patient is at increased risk for poor wound healing?

The nasogastric (NG)tube is removed on the second postoperative day,and the patient is placed on a clear liquid diet. Four hours later,the patient complains of frequent,cramping gas pains. What action by the nurse is the most appropriate?

A postoperative patient has not voided for 8 hours after return to the clinical unit. Which action should the nurse take first?

When caring for a patient the second postoperative day after abdominal surgery for removal of a large pancreatic cyst,the nurse obtains an oral temperature of 100.8° F (38.2° C). Which action should the nurse take next?

An older patient who had knee replacement surgery 2 days ago can only tolerate being out of bed with physical therapy twice a day. Which collaborative problem should the nurse identify as a priority for this patient?

A patient who had knee surgery received IV ketorolac 30 minutes ago and continues to complain of pain at a level of 7 (0 to 10 scale). Which action is most effective for the nurse to take at this time?

A patient's T-tube is draining dark green fluid after gallbladder surgery. What action by the nurse is the most appropriate?

An older patient is being discharged from the ambulatory surgical unit following left eye surgery. The patient tells the nurse,"I don't know if I can take care of myself once I'm home." Which action by the nurse is most appropriate?

The nurse assesses a patient who had a total abdominal hysterectomy 2 days ago. Which information about the patient is most important to communicate to the health care provider?

A patient who is just waking up after having hip replacement surgery is agitated and confused. Which action should the nurse take first?

The nurse assesses a patient on the second postoperative day after abdominal surgery to repair a perforated duodenal ulcer. Which finding is most important for the nurse to report to the surgeon?

Which action by the nurse will be most helpful to a patient who is expected to ambulate,deep breathe,and cough on the first postoperative day?

A postoperative patient has a nursing diagnosis of ineffective airway clearance. The nurse determines that interventions for this nursing diagnosis have been successful if which is observed?

While ambulating in the room,a patient complains of feeling dizzy. In what order will the nurse accomplish the following activities? (Put a comma and a space between each answer choice [A,B,C,D].)