When Performing a Surgical Dressing Change of a Client's Abdominal

Multiple Choice

When performing a surgical dressing change of a client's abdominal dressing, the nurse notes an increase in the amount of drainage and separation of the incision line. The underlying tissue is visible to the nurse. The priority nursing action at this time is to:

A) Apply a povidone-iodine (Betadine) -soaked sterile dressing.
B) Leave the incision exposed to the air to dry the area.
C) Apply a sterile dressing soaked with normal saline.
D) Irrigate the wound, and apply a dry sterile dressing.