The nurse is caring for a postoperative client who has a saline lock and minimal urine in the drainage bag, who appears anxious and restless. The nurse notices that the client's hands are cool and moist, with prolonged capillary refill. Which action should the nurse take?
Place a warm blanket on the client.
Administer IV fluids per protocol.
Review the medication administration record.
Check the urinary catheter r an occlusion.
The Correct Answer is B
A. Place a warm blanket on the client: Providing warmth may improve comfort temporarily but does not address the underlying cause of the client’s cool, moist hands, prolonged capillary refill, or low urine output, which suggest possible hypovolemia or shock.
B. Administer IV fluids per protocol: The client’s signs restlessness, cool clammy skin, prolonged capillary refill, and low urine output indicate hypoperfusion likely due to fluid deficit. Administering IV fluids promptly helps restore circulating volume and tissue perfusion.
C. Review the medication administration record: While medication review is important for overall safety, it does not address the immediate risk of hypovolemic shock or low urine output in this client.
D. Check the urinary catheter for an occlusion: Although checking for blockage is reasonable if a catheter is present, the client’s overall clinical presentation points to systemic hypovolemia rather than a localized urinary obstruction.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is A
Explanation
A. Last dose and type of rescue inhaler used by the child: Knowing the timing and type of rescue medication is critical in an acute asthma exacerbation to determine if additional doses or alternative therapies are needed immediately.
B. Frequency that the child uses a rescue inhaler during the week: While important for long-term asthma management, it is less critical during an acute, life-threatening episode where immediate intervention is required.
C. Type of allergen exposure or trigger for the current episode: Identifying triggers can help prevent future episodes but does not influence immediate treatment for the child’s current severe respiratory distress.
D. Type of inhaler the child typically uses on a regular basis: Knowing routine inhalers is relevant for chronic management but does not provide immediate guidance for emergency treatment of acute airway compromise.
Correct Answer is ["A","C","E"]
Explanation
Rationale for correct choices:
• Pain level presently 3 on a 0 to 10 scale: A reduction in pain from 8/10 to 3/10 indicates that the morphine is effectively alleviating the client’s pain. Effective analgesia allows for improved comfort, participation in breathing exercises, and reduced stress response.
• Client is able to take deep breaths, achieving 1,000 mL on incentive spirometer: Increased inspiratory volume demonstrates improved lung expansion, indicating that pain control is facilitating better respiratory effort. This is especially important to prevent atelectasis and maintain adequate oxygenation after rib fractures.
• Repositions in bed with minimal assistance: Ability to move with less assistance reflects improved comfort and mobility due to effective pain management. This shows the therapeutic effect of analgesia in enabling functional activity without excessive pain.
Rationale for incorrect choices:
• Client reports feeling "sleepy": Sleepiness is a common side effect of morphine, reflecting central nervous system depression rather than a therapeutic effect of pain relief. While mild sedation can accompany effective analgesia, it does not directly indicate improvement in the underlying condition.
• New mild cough noted: The appearance of a new cough is not a direct indicator of therapeutic pain relief. It may reflect airway irritation, increased secretions, or a response to deeper breathing, but it is not a measure of analgesic effectiveness.
• Attempted to get up to the chair, but experienced dizziness with standing: Dizziness indicates a side effect of the opioid (orthostatic hypotension or sedation), not a therapeutic response. This finding requires monitoring and safety interventions.
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