Week 4 Practice Questions

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. Schedule the activity to begin after the patient has taken a nap. B. Administer prescribed analgesic medications before the activities. C. Ask the patient to state two possible complications of immobility. D. Encourage the patient to discuss the purpose of splinting the incision.

Administer prescribed analgesic medications before the activities.

A patient who has not had any prior surgeries tells the nurse doing the preoperative assessment about allergies to avocados and bananas. Which action is most important for the nurse to take? A. Notify the dietitian about the specific food allergies. B. Alert the surgery center about a possible latex allergy. C. Reassure the patient that all allergies are noted on the health record. D.Ask whether the patient uses antihistamines to reduce allergic reactions

Alert the surgery center about a possible latex allergy.

Which actions will the nurse include in the surgical time-out procedure before surgery (Select all that apply.)? A. Check for patency of IV lines. B. Have the surgeon identify the patient. C. Have the patient state name and date of birth. D. Verify the patient identification band number. E. Ask the patient to state the surgical procedure.

C. Have the patient state name and date of birth. D. Verify the patient identification band number. E. Ask the patient to state the surgical procedure.

A patient who is just waking up after having hip replacement surgery is agitated and confused. Which action should the nurse take first? A. Administer the prescribed opioid. B. Check the oxygen (O2) saturation. C. Take the blood pressure and pulse. D. Apply wrist restraints to secure IV lines.

Check the oxygen (O2) saturation.

The nurse obtains a health history from a patient who is scheduled for elective hip surgery in 1 week. The patient reports use of garlic and Ginkgo biloba. Which action by the nurse is appropriate? A. Teach the patient that these products may be continued preoperatively. B. Advise the patient to stop the use of herbs and supplements at this time. C. Discuss the herb and supplement use with the patient's health care provider. D. Reassure the patient that there will be no interactions with anesthetic agents.

Discuss the herb and supplement use with the patient's health care provider.

In the postanesthesia care unit (PACU), a patient's vital signs are blood pressure 116/72 mm Hg, pulse 74 beats/min, respirations 12 breaths/min, and SpO2 91%. The patient is sleepy but awakens easily. Which action should the nurse take first? A. Place the patient in a side-lying position. B. Encourage the patient to take deep breaths. C. Prepare to transfer the patient to a clinical unit. D. Increase the rate of the postoperative IV fluids.

Encourage the patient to take deep breaths.

After receiving change-of-shift report about these postoperative patients, which patient should the nurse assess first? A. Obese patient who had abdominal surgery 3 days ago and whose wound edges are separating. B. Patient who has 30 mL of sanguineous drainage in the wound drain 10 hours after hip replacement surgery. C. Patient who has bibasilar crackles and a temperature of 100° F (37.8 °C) on the first postoperative day after chest surgery. D. Patient who continues to have incisional pain 15 minutes after hydrocodone and acetaminophen (Vicodin) was given.

Obese patient who had abdominal surgery 3 days ago and whose wound edges are separating.

A patient who has diabetes and uses insulin to control blood glucose has been NPO since midnight before having a knee replacement surgery. Which action should the nurse take? A. Withhold the usual scheduled insulin dose because the patient is NPO. B. Obtain a blood glucose measurement before any insulin administration. C. Give the patient the usual insulin dose because stress will increase the blood glucose. D. Give half the usual dose of insulin because there will be no oral intake before surgery.

Obtain a blood glucose measurement before any insulin administration.

An unconscious patient who was transferred from surgery to the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) 15 minutes ago has an oxygen saturation of 89%. Which action should the nurse take first? A. Suction the patient's mouth. B. Increase the oxygen flowrate. C. Perform the jaw-thrust maneuver. D. Elevate the patient's head on two pillows.

Perform the jaw-thrust maneuver.

A patient arrives at the outpatient surgical center for a scheduled laparoscopy under general anesthesia. Which information requires the nurse's preoperative intervention to maintain patient safety? A. The patient has never had general anesthesia. B. The patient is planning to drive home after surgery. C. The patient drank a sip of water 4 hours before arriving to take prescribed preoperative medication. D. The patient's insurance does not cover outpatient surgery.

The patient is planning to drive home after surgery.