A nurse is caring for a child who is 2 hr postoperative following a tonsillectomy. Which of the following fluid items should the nurse offer the child at this time?

A. "The manifestations are lessened by taking the prednisone every other day instead of daily."
Correct Answer: Cushingoid characteristics can be associated with long-term corticosteroid use. Taking prednisone every other day, rather than daily, can help minimize these manifestations while still providing the needed therapeutic effect.
B. "You need to be sure to talk to the doctor about the Cushingoid characteristics."
Incorrect: While it is important for the parents to communicate with the doctor, this statement is less therapeutic than option 3, which opens up a more collaborative and supportive conversation.
C. "Which manifestations of this condition do you find most troublesome?"
Correct Answer: This open-ended question allows the parents to express their concerns and frustrations. It facilitates communication between the parents and healthcare provider to address specific issues they find most troublesome.
D. "I am sure it will be all right; they hardly look unusual."
Incorrect: Downplaying the parents' concerns may not be the most therapeutic approach. Acknowledging their concerns and providing information about the reversible nature of cushingoid characteristics would be more helpful.
E. "The cushingoid appearance will gradually disappear once the corticosteroids are tapered and discontinued."
Correct Answer: Cushingoid characteristics are reversible, and they tend to improve as the dose of corticosteroids is tapered and eventually discontinued.

A. Sausage-shaped mass palpated in the upper right abdominal quadrant.
Explanation: A sausage-shaped mass in the upper right abdominal quadrant is more indicative of Hirschsprung's disease, not imperforate anus. In Hirschsprung's disease, there is a lack of ganglion cells in the rectum, leading to obstruction and a palpable mass.
B. The passage of currant jelly-like stools.
Explanation: The passage of currant jelly-like stools is characteristic of intussusception, a condition where one portion of the intestine telescopes into another. It is not associated with imperforate anus.
C. Bile-stained fecal emesis.
Explanation: Bile-stained fecal emesis suggests a possible intestinal obstruction or other gastrointestinal issue, but it is not a specific manifestation of imperforate anus. Imperforate anus is primarily characterized by the absence of a normal anal opening.
D. Failure to pass meconium stool in the first 24 hours after birth.
Explanation:
Imperforate anus refers to a congenital condition in which the opening to the anus is absent or improperly formed. One of the clinical manifestations is the failure to pass meconium stool within the first 24 hours after birth. Meconium is the thick, sticky, greenish-black substance that constitutes a newborn's first stools. The absence of meconium passage suggests a potential obstruction.