Exam 16: Nursing Management: Postoperative Care

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 sharp,cramping gas pains.What action by the nurse is the most appropriate?

The nurse is caring for a patient the first postoperative day following a laparotomy for a small bowel obstruction.The nurse notices new bright-red drainage about 5 cm in diameter on the dressing.Which action should the nurse take first?

The nurse assesses that the oxygen saturation is 89% in an unconscious patient who was transferred from surgery to the postanesthesia care unit (PACU)15 minutes ago.Which action should the nurse take first?

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?

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?

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

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

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

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

A patient's blood pressure in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU)has dropped from an admission blood pressure of 140/86 to 102/60 with a pulse change of 70 to 96.SpO₂ 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 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?

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.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?

In the postanesthesia care unit (PACU),a patient's vital signs are blood pressure 116/72,pulse 74,respirations 12,and SpO₂ 91%.The patient is sleepy but awakens easily.Which action should the nurse take first?

The nurse reviews the laboratory results for a patient on the first postoperative day after a hiatal hernia repair.Which finding would indicate to the nurse that the patient is at increased risk for poor wound healing?

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?

A nurse assists a patient on the first postoperative day to ambulate,cough,deep breathe,and turn.Which action by the nurse is most helpful?

The nurse working in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU)notes that a patient who has just been transported from the operating room is shivering and has a temperature of 96.5° F (35.8° C).Which action should the nurse take?

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

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