Immediate Postoperative Care Flashcards
7 cards from real CCTC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Immediate Postoperative Care flashcards as text
A pancreas transplant recipient develops hyperglycemia on postoperative day 1. What is the most important first step?
Answer: Assess graft perfusion with Doppler ultrasound
Sudden hyperglycemia after pancreas transplant may indicate graft thrombosis or failure, so vascular assessment with Doppler should precede insulin therapy.
Which sign on physical examination is most concerning for intraabdominal hemorrhage in the immediate post-transplant period?
Answer: Increasing abdominal girth with hemodynamic instability
Expanding abdominal girth combined with tachycardia and hypotension indicates significant intraabdominal bleeding requiring urgent surgical evaluation.
What is the recommended target blood pressure range for most kidney transplant recipients in the immediate postoperative period?
Answer: 120/80 to 140/90 mmHg
Maintaining blood pressure in the normal range ensures adequate renal perfusion without risking anastomotic stress or hypertensive complications.
A lung transplant patient on postoperative day 2 develops a fever of 38.9°C, purulent sputum, and worsening hypoxia. What is the most appropriate next step?
Answer: Obtain bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and start broad-spectrum antibiotics
Early post-transplant pneumonia requires BAL for culture-directed therapy and empiric broad-spectrum antibiotics given the immunocompromised state.
In a liver transplant patient, which value best indicates early primary graft nonfunction (PNF)?
Answer: Absence of bile production with coagulopathy and encephalopathy within 24 hours
Primary graft nonfunction presents early with failure of all liver functions — absent bile, severe coagulopathy, and encephalopathy — requiring urgent re-listing.
Which post-transplant complication is correctly managed by placing the patient in a supine position with legs elevated?
Answer: Orthostatic hypotension
Orthostatic hypotension is common early post-transplant due to volume depletion and vasodilation; Trendelenburg positioning improves venous return.
Which of the following is NOT a routine monitoring parameter in the immediate postoperative period for solid organ transplant recipients?
Answer: Serial echocardiograms every 4 hours
Serial echocardiograms every 4 hours are not routine; echocardiography is reserved for specific indications such as suspected cardiac dysfunction.