The Surgical Patient Post-Lecture Quiz

A 2-year-old child is scheduled for a tonsillectomy. When determining the plan of care, what is the nurse’s priority?

• Include the parents or caregivers in the plan of care.

• Explain to the child that they will have a sore throat after surgery.

• Tell the child that they can have their favorite foods for the first 24 hours after surgery.

• Prepare the child for discharge from the hospital as soon as they are alert.

The nurse is providing care to the client in the preoperative phase. Which of the following activities does the nurse perform in this phase?

• Admit the client to the surgical suite.

• Prepare the client mentally and physically for surgery.

• Set up the sterile field in the operating room.

• Perform the primary surgical scrub to the surgical site.

The nurse is gathering preoperative data on a client who is scheduled for abdominal surgery tomorrow. The client stopped taking warfarin 6 days ago but has continued taking both a multivitamin and vitamin E. Why should the nurse notify the surgeon?

• The client needs to restart the anticoagulant.

• The nurse is concerned about the multivitamin.

• The nurse is concerned about vitamin E.

• The nurse needs to cancel the surgery to evaluate lab values.

A terminally ill client is undergoing surgery to relieve pain. What type of surgery is this?

• Procurement

• Ablative

• Palliative

• Diagnostic

The client is scheduled for a bronchoscopy. The client states that they are mildly anxious and afraid of “going to sleep and never waking up.” Which type of anesthesia would be most appropriate for the client?

• General anesthesia

• Peripheral block

• Regional block

• Conscious sedation

The nurse is assessing the client who is status 4 hours post–total knee arthroplasty. The assessment is as follows: blood pressure (BP) 90/60 mm Hg, pulse (P) 94 beats/min; respiration rate (RR) 16 breaths/min; temperature (T) 98.6°F, dressing is saturated with frank red blood. The nurse reinforces the dressing and contacts the surgeon. The nurse recognizes that this scenario indicates:

• The client may be hemorrhaging.

• The client may be hypovolemic.

• The client is developing an infection.

• The client is developing a thrombus.

The preoperative nurse is preparing clients for surgery. Which client does the nurse classify as facing the highest surgical risk?

• A 40-year-old with hepatitis secondary to past IV drug use

• An 83-year-old smoker with medically controlled hypertension

• A 6-month-old with congenital heart anomaly and early stage liver disease

• A 28-year-old taking anticoagulants secondary to mitral valve prolapse

The client asks the preoperative nurse why all of the team members took a time-out before starting the procedure. Which of the following is the nurse’s best response?

• “This is one of our safety steps to verify you and your surgical procedure.”

• “This gives the team a chance to rest before performing your procedure.”

• “This is one way that we complete all pre-surgery care prior to your surgery.”

• “This verifies that you have signed the consent form and agree to the surgery.”

A client is being transferred to the surgical unit following an open cholecystectomy. What is the PACU nurse’s first action?

• Position the client on their side.

• Assess the client every 5 to 15 minutes.

• Receive a summary report from the PACU nurse.

• Perform a quick, focused assessment with OR staff.

The nurse is caring for a client with a Salem-sump double-lumen nasogastric (NG) tube to suction. The client complains of nausea and has mild abdominal distention. What is the nurse’s priority action?

• Administer an antiemetic.

• Replace the nasogastric tube.

• Check placement of the NG tube.

• Irrigate the NG tube.