Postoperative Patient Management Flashcards
7 cards from real CSFA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Postoperative Patient Management flashcards as text
A patient in the PACU develops a respiratory rate of 6 breaths/min and is difficult to arouse 30 minutes after receiving fentanyl intraoperatively. What is the most appropriate immediate intervention?
Answer: Administer naloxone (Narcan) IV
Naloxone reverses opioid-induced respiratory depression and is the priority intervention for a patient with signs of opioid overdose.
Which assessment finding in the immediate postoperative period is MOST indicative of laryngospasm?
Answer: High-pitched crowing sound with paradoxical chest movement
Laryngospasm produces a high-pitched stridor or crowing noise accompanied by paradoxical chest and abdominal movement due to complete or partial glottic closure.
A postoperative patient receiving morphine PCA complains of itching over the face and trunk without hives or hypotension. This reaction is MOST likely caused by:
Answer: Opioid-induced histamine release from mast cells
Morphine commonly causes non-allergic pruritus through direct mast cell histamine release, which is different from a true allergic reaction.
During the immediate postoperative period, which parameter is the EARLIEST indicator of hemorrhagic shock?
Answer: Increased heart rate (tachycardia)
Tachycardia is the earliest compensatory response to hemorrhage as the body attempts to maintain cardiac output before blood pressure falls.
A patient 2 hours postoperative from an abdominal procedure has a urine output of 15 mL over the past hour. The FIRST nursing action should be to:
Answer: Assess fluid intake, blood pressure, and catheter patency
Oliguria (less than 30 mL/hr) requires a systematic assessment of volume status, hemodynamics, and mechanical causes before any pharmacologic intervention.
Which of the following postoperative complications is characterized by absent bowel sounds, abdominal distension, and failure to pass flatus after abdominal surgery?
Answer: Paralytic ileus
Paralytic ileus presents with absent bowel sounds and abdominal distension due to temporary cessation of peristalsis following abdominal surgery.
A patient returning from a 4-hour laparoscopic procedure is shivering vigorously in the PACU with a core temperature of 35.2°C. The PRIORITY intervention is:
Answer: Active external rewarming with forced-air warming blanket
Forced-air warming blankets provide the most effective active external rewarming and are the priority for treating postoperative hypothermia.