Exam 37: Care of the Surgical Patient

The nurse preparing the surgical patient's room for the patient's return from the postanesthesia unit should: (Select all that apply.)

The nurse is assessing the surgical dressing of a patient who arrived on the unit an hour ago. The surgical dressing has serosanguineous drainage on the dressing. The nurse should:

While completing the preoperative checklist, a patient who is almost ready for transport to the operating room states that he does not want to remove his wedding band. The nurse should:

The illiterate patient signs the surgical consent form with an "X." The nurse is aware that this "X" is:

A postoperative patient experiences separation of the layers of his abdominal surgical wound during coughing. Separation of the layers of a surgical wound is known as ___________.

To help prevent surgical site infections in the diabetic patient, the glycemic should be maintained with a blood glucose of less than _____ mg/dL.

A postoperative surgical patient asks how the sequential pneumatic compression boots applied in the operating room will help lower the risk of blood clots forming in the legs. The nurse's most appropriate response would be that the boots:

The nurse discovers that the signed operative permit has misspelled the patient's name. The nurse must:

A patient undergoing preadmission testing before same day surgery asks how long he will remain in the recovery area before being allowed to go home. The nurse's most informative response would be:

A 16-year-old boy injured in a motorcycle accident is unconscious and cannot sign the emergency surgical consent form; no family members can be located. The nurse anticipates that:

The nurse explains that the informed surgical consent form should include information relative to: (Select all that apply.)

A patient who had abdominal surgery is complaining of "gas pains" and has distention of the abdomen and flatus. To promote patient comfort, the nurse should advise:

The nurse reminds the patient that the member of the surgical team who is responsible for obtaining the surgical consent is the ____________.

A patient who had surgery earlier in the day using general anesthesia asks whether he can have something to eat. The diet order indicates clear liquids can be taken. Before giving a Jell O to the patient, the nurse should check for the presence of:

The patient informs the admitting nurse that she has been drinking feverfew tea for the herbal treatment of migraine headaches. The nurse reports this to the surgeon because this herb can cause ________________.

A patient who has returned to the surgical nursing unit from the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) is drowsy and requires verbal stimulation to remain aroused. The best position to maintain an airway for this patient is:

A nurse is monitoring the urinary drainage from a patient who returned to the unit a few hours ago from the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) following a surgical procedure. The urine total is 54 mL for the last 2 hours. The most appropriate nursing action is to:

A patient scheduled for surgery has an order for a preoperative surgical skin preparation. The nurse may be required to:

A nurse preparing to get a patient out of bed for the first time since surgery will initially:

In order for the anesthesiologist to accurately calculate the amount of anesthesia needed for an 82-year-old patient, the nurse should have data available on the medical record, such as: