Surgical Procedures & Postoperative Care Flashcards
7 cards from real MSNCB practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Surgical Procedures & Postoperative Care flashcards as text
A patient's incentive spirometry goal is 1500 mL but they consistently achieve only 600 mL on postoperative day 1. The nurse's best intervention is to:
Answer: Provide pain medication before sessions and coach proper technique
Preemptive analgesia reduces splinting from incisional pain, the primary barrier to deep breathing, and coaching optimizes technique.
Which sign indicates a patient's nasogastric tube may have migrated into the respiratory tract?
Answer: Coughing, cyanosis, and respiratory distress
Coughing, cyanosis, and respiratory distress indicate the NG tube is in the airway, requiring immediate removal and reassessment.
A nurse notes that a patient's surgical wound edges are separating with visible subcutaneous tissue on postoperative day 5. No organs are protruding. This is classified as:
Answer: Wound dehiscence requiring wound care and possible re-closure
Separation of wound edges without organ protrusion is dehiscence; evisceration refers to organ protrusion through the wound.
When caring for a patient after spinal anesthesia, the nurse monitors for post-dural puncture headache. What characteristic feature differentiates this headache from other postoperative headaches?
Answer: It worsens when the patient sits or stands and improves when supine
Post-dural puncture headache is positional, worsening with upright posture and relieved by lying flat due to CSF pressure changes.
A patient post-carotid endarterectomy develops sudden-onset weakness of the contralateral arm and expressive aphasia. The nurse should first:
Answer: Perform the NIH Stroke Scale and notify the surgeon stat
New focal neurologic deficits after carotid endarterectomy indicate possible stroke; immediate stroke assessment and surgical notification are required.
Which finding in the immediate postoperative period requires the nurse to reposition the patient before anything else?
Answer: SpO2 of 86% with audible snoring and a relaxed jaw
SpO2 of 86% with snoring indicates airway obstruction from a relaxed tongue; immediate jaw-thrust or head-tilt/chin-lift repositioning is the priority.
A patient 2 days post-open appendectomy reports the urge to defecate but passes only flatus. The nurse's best response is:
Answer: Reassure the patient that flatus indicates return of bowel function
Passage of flatus signals the return of peristalsis and is a normal, expected finding that should be encouraged and celebrated in postoperative patients.