When the nurse discontinues a 24-hour postoperative client’s patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pump, the client asks to go to the hospital’s smoking area to smoke a cigarette. Which response should the nurse provide?

“Your PCA pump has just been discontinued, and you need to wait at least one hour before leaving the unit.”

“As long as you go to the smoking area in a wheelchair, it will be all right for you to go smoke.”

“You may smoke in your room if you keep the door closed and open a window.”

“Smoking is hazardous to your health, and since you just had surgery, it would be best for you to avoid smoking.”

Answer and Explanation

The Correct Answer is D

Choice A reason: Delaying smoking for one hour is arbitrary and does not address smoking’s risks post-surgery. Nicotine causes vasoconstriction, reducing wound perfusion, and carbon monoxide impairs oxygen delivery, delaying healing. Advising against smoking mitigates these risks, promoting recovery, making this response less effective than cessation advice.

Choice B reason: Allowing smoking in a wheelchair ignores postoperative risks. Nicotine’s vasoconstriction reduces tissue oxygenation, and carbon monoxide lowers hemoglobin’s capacity, impairing healing. This increases infection or thrombosis risk. Advising against smoking addresses these physiological harms, prioritizing wound recovery over facilitating smoking, which is detrimental.

Choice C reason: Smoking in the room violates hospital safety and exposes others to secondhand smoke. Nicotine and carbon monoxide reduce tissue perfusion and oxygen delivery, delaying postoperative healing. Advising against smoking prevents these complications, ensuring better recovery, making this response unsafe and inappropriate for surgical patients.

Choice D reason: Advising against smoking is critical, as nicotine causes vasoconstriction, reducing blood flow to surgical sites, and carbon monoxide impairs oxygen delivery, delaying healing. These increase infection and thrombosis risks post-surgery. This response promotes optimal recovery, addressing physiological needs for wound healing in the critical 24-hour period.

Nursing Test Bank

Quiz #1: RN Exams Pharmacology Exams Quiz #2: RN Exams Medical-Surgical Exams Quiz #3: RN Exams Fundamentals Exams Quiz #4: RN Exams Maternal-Newborn Exams Quiz #5: RN Exams Anatomy and Physiology Exams Quiz #6: RN Exams Obstetrics and Pediatrics Exams Quiz #7: RN Exams Fluid and Electrolytes Exams Quiz #8: RN Exams Community Health Exams Quiz #9: RN Exams Promoting Health across the lifespan Exams Quiz #10: RN Exams Multidimensional care Exams

Get 100+ Naxlex Exit Exams for $79 Try Naxlex NCLEX-RN (14 Day Free-Trial)

Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams

Quiz #1: Naxlex RN Comprehensive online practice 2019 B with NGN Quiz #2: Naxlex RN Comprehensive Predictor 2023 Quiz #3: Naxlex RN Comprehensive Predictor 2023 Exit Exam A Quiz #4: Naxlex HESI Exit LPN Exam Quiz #5: Naxlex PN Comprehensive Predictor PN 2020 Quiz #6: Naxlex VATI PN Comprehensive Predictor 2020 Quiz #8: Naxlex PN Comprehensive Predictor 2023 - Exam 1 Quiz #10: Naxlex HESI PN Exit exam Quiz #11: Naxlex HESI PN EXIT Exam 2

Free Nursing Study Resources

Correct Answer is C

Explanation

Choice A reason: Denying muscle spasms is normal and not a complication. Muscle twitching indicates hypocalcemia, a thyroidectomy risk due to parathyroid damage. Absence of spasms is reassuring, per postoperative complication monitoring and endocrine surgical care standards in nursing.

Choice B reason: Back and joint pain are nonspecific and not typical thyroidectomy complications. Muscle twitching suggests hypocalcemia, a critical issue post-thyroidectomy. Pain requires assessment but is less urgent, per postoperative monitoring and complication management protocols in surgical nursing.

Choice C reason: Muscle twitching in hands and feet indicates hypocalcemia, a serious complication from parathyroid gland damage during thyroidectomy. This requires immediate calcium replacement to prevent tetany, per postoperative complication monitoring and endocrine surgical care protocols in nursing practice.

Choice D reason: Diaphoresis without headache is nonspecific and not a primary thyroidectomy complication. Muscle twitching signals hypocalcemia, needing urgent intervention. Diaphoresis requires monitoring but is less critical, per postoperative assessment and complication management standards in surgical nursing.

A. Change the tracheostomy ties every 48 hours. B. Suction the tracheostomy every 2 hours routinely. C. Assess airway patency every shift. D. Clean the inner cannula with hydrogen peroxide daily.

Correct Answer is C

Explanation

Choice A reason: Changing tracheostomy ties every 48 hours maintains hygiene but is less critical than airway patency. Ties secure the tube, but obstruction from mucus or dislodgement risks respiratory failure. Regular patency checks ensure airflow, addressing the primary physiological need for oxygenation in tracheostomy care.

Choice B reason: Routine suctioning every 2 hours is unnecessary unless secretions obstruct the airway. Over-suctioning risks mucosal trauma or hypoxia. Assessing patency ensures the airway remains clear, guiding suctioning as needed, prioritizing respiratory function in tracheostomy clients over arbitrary suction schedules.

Choice C reason: Assessing airway patency every shift is critical, as tracheostomy tubes risk obstruction from mucus or dislodgement, causing respiratory distress. Regular checks confirm airflow, preventing hypoxia, addressing the physiological priority of oxygenation. This ensures timely intervention, maintaining airway integrity in clients with artificial airways.

Choice D reason: Cleaning the inner cannula daily prevents infection but is secondary to airway patency. Obstruction from secretions or tube displacement causes immediate respiratory failure. Patency assessment ensures airflow, guiding cleaning as needed, making it more urgent than routine cannula maintenance in tracheostomy care.

View Question and Answer

Whether you are a student looking to ace your exams or a practicing nurse seeking to enhance your expertise , our nursing education contents will empower you with the confidence and competence to make a difference in the lives of patients and become a respected leader in the healthcare field.

Visit Naxlex, invest in your future and unlock endless possibilities with our unparalleled nursing education contents today

When the nurse discontinues a 24-hour postoperative client’s patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pump, the client asks to go to the hospital’s smoking area to smoke a cigarette. Which response should the nurse provide?

Nursing Test Bank

Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams

Following a total thyroidectomy, the nurse plans to observe a client for complications. Which finding indicates that the client has developed a complication?

Correct Answer is C

Explanation

The nurse is caring for a client with a new tracheostomy. Which action is most important to include in the client’s plan of care?

Correct Answer is C

Explanation

An adolescent female arrives at the wellness clinic reporting fears that she will hurt herself. The nurse observes scars on both wrists of the client. Which priority action should the nurse implement?

An older male client reports nocturia with difficulty starting his urine stream. Which additional assessment should the nurse perform to obtain further data related to this information?

While completing an admission assessment, the nurse is unable to palpate the client’s left dorsalis pedis (DP) pulse. Which intervention is most important for the nurse to implement?

Which nursing intervention is most effective in determining the severity of a client’s pain?

After a client voids, 150 mL of residual urine is measured. Which nursing problem should be included in this client’s plan of care?

An older adult male client with schizophrenia is found smearing feces on the bathroom walls of the chronic mental health unit where he resides. Which action should the nurse implement?

When advising a new mother in caring for a child with croup, which symptom should be a priority concern to the telephone triage nurse?

Which instruction should the nurse provide a client who was recently diagnosed with Raynaud’s disease?