NCLEX: Perioperative Nursing UPDATED
ACTUAL Exam Questions and CORRECT
Answers
A patient is now in the recovery room after having vaginal surgery. Due to the positioning of the
procedure, you would want to assess for what while the patient is in recovery?
A) Hemoglobin Level
B) Homan's Sign
C) Bowel Sounds
D) Dysrhythmia - CORRECT ANSWER - D) Dysrhythmia
Vaginal surgeries require the patient to be in the lithotomy position. This position can put the
patient at risk for a deep vein thrombosis. Therefore, the nurse would want to check for this by
using Homan's Sign.
After surgery your patient is semicomatose with vital signs within normal limits. As the nurse,
what position would be best for this patient?
A) Side positioning preferably on the left side
B) Prone
C) Semi-Fowlers
D) Low-Fowlers - CORRECT ANSWER - A) Side positioning preferably on the left side
A patient who is semicomatose is at risk for aspiration (due to secretions pooling in the mouth or
vomiting which is a common side effect of sedation). Placing the patient onto their side
preferably the left will help decrease the risk of aspiration and help promote cardiovascular
circulation.
After surgery your patient starts to shiver uncontrollably. What nursing intervention would you
do FIRST?
, A) Apply warm blankets & continue oxygen as prescribed
B) Take the patient's rectal temperature
C) Page the doctor for further orders
D) Adjust the thermostat in the room - CORRECT ANSWER - A) Apply warm blankets &
continue oxygen as prescribed
Shivering is an early sign that the patient is starting to experience hypothermia. Immediately, the
nurse would need to control the shivering by applying warm blankets and continue oxygen.
When the patient starts to experience hypothermia, vital organs are not receiving as much
oxygenated blood due to the vasoconstriction. Therefore, oxygen would need to be continued.
Then the nurse would take the patient's temperature.
The nurse is monitoring the patient who is 24 hours post-opt from surgery. Which finding
requires intervention?
A) 24 hour urine output of 300 mL
B) Pain rating of 4 on 1-10 scale
C) Temperature of 99.3' F
D) BP 100/80 - CORRECT ANSWER - A) 24 hour urine output of 300 mL
The nurse needs to watch the patient's urinary output closely. Urinary output within a 24 hour
period should be at least 30 ml/hr. In this case, the patient is only urinating 12.5 ml/hr.
A patient is 6 days post-opt from abdominal surgery. The patient is to be discharged later today.
The patient uses the call light and asks you to come to his room and look at his surgical site. On
arrival, you see that approximately 2 inches of internal organs are protruding through the
incision. What intervention would you NOT do?
A) Cover the wound with sterile normal saline dressing
B) Put the patient in prone position with knees extended to
ACTUAL Exam Questions and CORRECT
Answers
A patient is now in the recovery room after having vaginal surgery. Due to the positioning of the
procedure, you would want to assess for what while the patient is in recovery?
A) Hemoglobin Level
B) Homan's Sign
C) Bowel Sounds
D) Dysrhythmia - CORRECT ANSWER - D) Dysrhythmia
Vaginal surgeries require the patient to be in the lithotomy position. This position can put the
patient at risk for a deep vein thrombosis. Therefore, the nurse would want to check for this by
using Homan's Sign.
After surgery your patient is semicomatose with vital signs within normal limits. As the nurse,
what position would be best for this patient?
A) Side positioning preferably on the left side
B) Prone
C) Semi-Fowlers
D) Low-Fowlers - CORRECT ANSWER - A) Side positioning preferably on the left side
A patient who is semicomatose is at risk for aspiration (due to secretions pooling in the mouth or
vomiting which is a common side effect of sedation). Placing the patient onto their side
preferably the left will help decrease the risk of aspiration and help promote cardiovascular
circulation.
After surgery your patient starts to shiver uncontrollably. What nursing intervention would you
do FIRST?
, A) Apply warm blankets & continue oxygen as prescribed
B) Take the patient's rectal temperature
C) Page the doctor for further orders
D) Adjust the thermostat in the room - CORRECT ANSWER - A) Apply warm blankets &
continue oxygen as prescribed
Shivering is an early sign that the patient is starting to experience hypothermia. Immediately, the
nurse would need to control the shivering by applying warm blankets and continue oxygen.
When the patient starts to experience hypothermia, vital organs are not receiving as much
oxygenated blood due to the vasoconstriction. Therefore, oxygen would need to be continued.
Then the nurse would take the patient's temperature.
The nurse is monitoring the patient who is 24 hours post-opt from surgery. Which finding
requires intervention?
A) 24 hour urine output of 300 mL
B) Pain rating of 4 on 1-10 scale
C) Temperature of 99.3' F
D) BP 100/80 - CORRECT ANSWER - A) 24 hour urine output of 300 mL
The nurse needs to watch the patient's urinary output closely. Urinary output within a 24 hour
period should be at least 30 ml/hr. In this case, the patient is only urinating 12.5 ml/hr.
A patient is 6 days post-opt from abdominal surgery. The patient is to be discharged later today.
The patient uses the call light and asks you to come to his room and look at his surgical site. On
arrival, you see that approximately 2 inches of internal organs are protruding through the
incision. What intervention would you NOT do?
A) Cover the wound with sterile normal saline dressing
B) Put the patient in prone position with knees extended to
