A nurse is assisting with the care of a 2-year-old child.

Which of the following actions should the nurse take when assisting with the implementation of the plan of care? Select all that apply.

A. Discontinue the enema: Mild cramping is a common response during enema administration and does not require stopping the procedure. Discontinuing unnecessarily would prevent the client from receiving the intended therapeutic effect.

B. Slow the rate of instillation: Cramping often occurs when the solution enters the rectum too quickly. Slowing the rate allows the colon to accommodate the fluid more comfortably, reducing discomfort while continuing the enema safely and effectively.

C. Ask the client to hold his breath until the cramping passes: Holding the breath does not relieve rectal cramping and may increase client discomfort or anxiety. Comfort measures should focus on adjusting the procedure rather than altering breathing inappropriately.

D. Pause the enema to administer pain medication to the client: Administering systemic pain medication is unnecessary for mild, transient cramping. Slowing the enema is sufficient to manage discomfort, and pausing for medication would unnecessarily delay treatment.

A. The client's foot feels cooler than in the previous assessment: A cooler extremity following vascular surgery can indicate decreased perfusion, but temperature alone is a subjective and late indicator. It must be interpreted in conjunction with pulses, capillary refill, color, and pain. While concerning, it does not provide definitive evidence of acute graft compromise by itself.

B. The client's pedal pulse in the right foot is not palpable: Absence of a distal pedal pulse following a femoropopliteal bypass graft raises immediate concern for graft occlusion or acute arterial thrombosis. Patency of the graft is essential to restore blood flow to the lower extremity, and loss of pulse indicates potential ischemia.

C. The client's capillary refill time is 5 seconds in the toes: A prolonged capillary refill suggests impaired peripheral perfusion, but it is less specific than pulse assessment. Capillary refill can be influenced by environmental temperature and vasoconstriction. While abnormal, it is not as critical as the absence of a palpable pulse in evaluating graft function.

D. The client reports a pain level of 8 on a scale from 0 to 10: Postoperative pain is expected after a vascular surgical procedure and may be significant. However, pain must be correlated with other ischemic signs such as pulselessness, pallor, paresthesia, and paralysis to determine severity. Severe pain alone, without objective perfusion deficits, is not the most urgent finding.