A nurse is providing postmortem care for a client prior to the family viewing the body. Which of the following actions should the nurse take?
Raise the head of the client's bed to 30 degrees.
Cleanse the client's body while wearing sterile gloves
Remove the client's dentures and close their mouth
Apply surgical tape to the client's eyes
The Correct Answer is A
After a patient dies, postmortem care includes preparing them for family viewing. The nurse should place the body in the supine position, with the arms at the sides and the head on a pillow. Then elevate the head of the bed 30 degrees to prevent discoloration from blood settling in the face .
The other options are not correct because:
b) The nurse should cleanse the client's body while wearing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) based on indications for isolation precautions, not necessarily sterile gloves.
c) If the patient wore dentures and your facility’s policy permits, gently insert them; then close the mouth
d) The nurse should close the eyes by gently pressing on the lids with their fingertips. If they don’t stay closed, place moist coton balls on the eyelids for a few minutes, and then try again to close them. Surgical tape is not mentioned as necessary .
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is B
Explanation
The instruction that the nurse should include is "You can take a shower 1 day after your procedure." According to the Cleveland Clinic, the morning after the procedure, the client may take the dressing off the catheter insertion site. The easiest way to do this is when showering, get the tape and dressing wet and remove it.
Option a is incorrect because there is no information suggesting that a client must wait 3 days before resuming a regular diet after a cardiac catheterization.
Option c is incorrect because according to the Cleveland Clinic, clients should gradually increase their activities until they reach their normal activity level within one week after the procedure.
Option d is incorrect because there is no information suggesting that a client must wait 1 week before returning to school after cardiac catheterization.
Correct Answer is C
Explanation
Answer: (C) The client is not grimacing
Rationale:
A) The client's blood pressure has been reduced:
While morphine can lower blood pressure due to its vasodilatory effects, a reduction in blood pressure is not necessarily a primary indicator of a therapeutic response to pain relief. It is more important to assess pain relief directly through the client's subjective experience and behavior rather than focusing on vital signs alone.
B) The client exhibits diaphoresis:
Diaphoresis, or sweating, can occur as a side effect of morphine administration but does not indicate that the medication is effectively relieving pain. In fact, diaphoresis might signal an adverse reaction or discomfort rather than a therapeutic effect.
C) The client is not grimacing:
The absence of grimacing suggests that the client's pain has decreased, which is a direct indicator of a therapeutic response to morphine. Observing a reduction in pain-related behaviors, such as grimacing, is a key assessment for determining the effectiveness of pain management in postoperative clients.
D) The client has an elevated heart rate:
An elevated heart rate may be a sign of unresolved pain or a side effect of morphine but is not a clear indicator of pain relief. Effective pain management with morphine typically results in a decrease in sympathetic nervous system responses, such as a high heart rate, rather than an increase.
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