Chapter 17: Priorities for the Postoperative Patient
Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
____ 1. Which laboratory test should the postanesthesia care nurse monitor closely for
a patient who is prescribed warfarin in the treatment of atrial fibrillation?
1. Serum glucose
2. Serum potassium
3. Prothrombin (PT) time
4. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN)
____ 2. The nurse is assessing a patient’s postoperative wound and finds it has
separated from the suture line with extrusion of the bowel through the opening. When
documenting this finding, which term will the nurse use?
1. Wound infection
2. Wound dehiscence
3. Wound evisceration
4. Wound tunneling
____ 3. The nurse is caring for a patient with a drain connected to a portable drainage
suction device shaped like a grenade made of plastic. Which term will the nurse use
when describing this system during end-of-shift report?
1. Closed wound drainage system
2. Hemovac
3. Jackson-Pratt
4. Reinfusion drain
____ 4. The patient arrives at the surgeon’s office one week after surgery to have the
sutures removed. Which classification would the nurse use when documenting care
for this patient?
1. Preoperative
2. Postoperative
3. Perioperative
4. Intraoperative
____ 5. Upon receiving the patient from the postanesthesia care unit, which nursing
action is the priority?
1. Apply clean linens to the bed
,2. Assemble required equipment, such as suction, IV pole, or oxygen equipment
3. Assess the patient
4. Notify the family of the patient’s return to the room
____ 6. In the ongoing postoperative period, the nurse independently determines,
within the protocols of the hospital, the need for which provision of care?
1. Type of diet
2. Activity level
3. Assessment intervals
4. Intravenous solutions
____ 7. The postoperative patient displays sudden chest pain, shortness of breath,
cyanosis, tachycardia, and low blood pressure. The nurse suspects which
postoperative complication?
1. Pneumonia
2. Atelectasis
3. Hypovolemia
4. Pulmonary embolism
____ 8. Which laboratory test should the postanesthesia care nurse monitor for a
patient who is having difficulty regaining consciousness after a surgical procedure?
1. Serum glucose
2. Serum potassium
3. Prothrombin (PT) time
4. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN)
____ 9. Which is the priority laboratory test that the postanesthesia care nurse should
monitor closely for an older adult patient with renal disease who retained fluid during
a surgical procedure?
1. Serum glucose
2. Serum potassium
3. Prothrombin (PT) time
4. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN)
____ 10. The postanesthesia care nurse is providing care to a patient with fluid
volume overload who is experiencing cardiac dysrhythmias. Which laboratory test
should the nurse monitor for this patient?
1. Serum glucose
, 2. Serum potassium
3. Prothrombin (PT) time
4. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN)
____ 11. The medical-surgical nurse is providing care to a postoperative patient who
is experiencing an elevated temperature. Which laboratory value should the nurse
monitor to gather more information?
1. Platelet count
2. Serum glucose
3. Red blood cell (RBC) count
4. White blood cell (WBC) count
____ 12. Which nursing action is appropriate when providing care to a patient who is
difficult to arouse in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU)?
1. Monitor breath sounds
2. Administer prescribed heparin
3. Hold prescribed opioid analgesics
4. Assess for malignant hyperthermia
____ 13. Which nursing action is appropriate when providing care to a patient who is
exhibiting low oxygen saturation levels in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU)?
1. Monitor breath sounds
2. Administer prescribed heparin
3. Hold prescribed opioid analgesics
4. Assess for malignant hyperthermia
____ 14. Which nursing action is appropriate when providing care to a patient who is
exhibiting symptoms of a venous thromboembolism (VTE)?
1. Monitor breath sounds
2. Administer prescribed heparin
3. Hold prescribed opioid analgesics
4. Assess for malignant hyperthermia
____ 15. The postanesthesia care unit (PACU) nurse is providing care for a patient
who is exhibiting hypothermia. Which nursing action is appropriate?
1. Monitor breath sounds
2. Check serum glucose level
Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
____ 1. Which laboratory test should the postanesthesia care nurse monitor closely for
a patient who is prescribed warfarin in the treatment of atrial fibrillation?
1. Serum glucose
2. Serum potassium
3. Prothrombin (PT) time
4. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN)
____ 2. The nurse is assessing a patient’s postoperative wound and finds it has
separated from the suture line with extrusion of the bowel through the opening. When
documenting this finding, which term will the nurse use?
1. Wound infection
2. Wound dehiscence
3. Wound evisceration
4. Wound tunneling
____ 3. The nurse is caring for a patient with a drain connected to a portable drainage
suction device shaped like a grenade made of plastic. Which term will the nurse use
when describing this system during end-of-shift report?
1. Closed wound drainage system
2. Hemovac
3. Jackson-Pratt
4. Reinfusion drain
____ 4. The patient arrives at the surgeon’s office one week after surgery to have the
sutures removed. Which classification would the nurse use when documenting care
for this patient?
1. Preoperative
2. Postoperative
3. Perioperative
4. Intraoperative
____ 5. Upon receiving the patient from the postanesthesia care unit, which nursing
action is the priority?
1. Apply clean linens to the bed
,2. Assemble required equipment, such as suction, IV pole, or oxygen equipment
3. Assess the patient
4. Notify the family of the patient’s return to the room
____ 6. In the ongoing postoperative period, the nurse independently determines,
within the protocols of the hospital, the need for which provision of care?
1. Type of diet
2. Activity level
3. Assessment intervals
4. Intravenous solutions
____ 7. The postoperative patient displays sudden chest pain, shortness of breath,
cyanosis, tachycardia, and low blood pressure. The nurse suspects which
postoperative complication?
1. Pneumonia
2. Atelectasis
3. Hypovolemia
4. Pulmonary embolism
____ 8. Which laboratory test should the postanesthesia care nurse monitor for a
patient who is having difficulty regaining consciousness after a surgical procedure?
1. Serum glucose
2. Serum potassium
3. Prothrombin (PT) time
4. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN)
____ 9. Which is the priority laboratory test that the postanesthesia care nurse should
monitor closely for an older adult patient with renal disease who retained fluid during
a surgical procedure?
1. Serum glucose
2. Serum potassium
3. Prothrombin (PT) time
4. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN)
____ 10. The postanesthesia care nurse is providing care to a patient with fluid
volume overload who is experiencing cardiac dysrhythmias. Which laboratory test
should the nurse monitor for this patient?
1. Serum glucose
, 2. Serum potassium
3. Prothrombin (PT) time
4. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN)
____ 11. The medical-surgical nurse is providing care to a postoperative patient who
is experiencing an elevated temperature. Which laboratory value should the nurse
monitor to gather more information?
1. Platelet count
2. Serum glucose
3. Red blood cell (RBC) count
4. White blood cell (WBC) count
____ 12. Which nursing action is appropriate when providing care to a patient who is
difficult to arouse in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU)?
1. Monitor breath sounds
2. Administer prescribed heparin
3. Hold prescribed opioid analgesics
4. Assess for malignant hyperthermia
____ 13. Which nursing action is appropriate when providing care to a patient who is
exhibiting low oxygen saturation levels in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU)?
1. Monitor breath sounds
2. Administer prescribed heparin
3. Hold prescribed opioid analgesics
4. Assess for malignant hyperthermia
____ 14. Which nursing action is appropriate when providing care to a patient who is
exhibiting symptoms of a venous thromboembolism (VTE)?
1. Monitor breath sounds
2. Administer prescribed heparin
3. Hold prescribed opioid analgesics
4. Assess for malignant hyperthermia
____ 15. The postanesthesia care unit (PACU) nurse is providing care for a patient
who is exhibiting hypothermia. Which nursing action is appropriate?
1. Monitor breath sounds
2. Check serum glucose level
