ATI LPN
Perioperative Nursing Care Questions Questions
Question 1 of 5
A patient with emphysema is experiencing shortness of breath. To relieve this patients symptoms, the nurse should assist her into what position?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: For an emphysema patient with shortness of breath, sitting upright and leaning forward slightly optimizes respiratory mechanics. This position, often instinctive in COPD, elevates the diaphragm, reducing its flattening from hyperinflation, and engages accessory muscles (e.g., pectoralis) to aid expiration, easing dyspnea. Leaning forward may also reduce abdominal pressure on the thorax, enhancing lung expansion. Low Fowler's with neck hyperextension strains breathing by misaligning the airway and limiting diaphragm movement. Prone positioning, face-down, restricts chest expansion, worsening air trapping. Trendelenburg, head-down, elevates abdominal contents against the diaphragm, intensifying dyspnea. The nurse's assistance into this upright, forward-leaning posture often with arms supported maximizes ventilation, aligning with COPD management to relieve acute respiratory distress effectively.
Question 2 of 5
A nurse is caring for a patient who has been hospitalized with an acute asthma exacerbation. What drugs should the nurse expect to be ordered for this patient to gain underlying control of persistent asthma?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: For an acute asthma exacerbation with persistent symptoms, the nurse expects anti-inflammatory drugs, primarily inhaled corticosteroids (e.g., budesonide), to gain underlying control. Asthma's root is airway inflammation corticosteroids reduce mucosal edema, mucus production, and hyperresponsiveness, preventing recurrent attacks and stabilizing lung function long-term. Rescue inhalers (e.g., albuterol) provide quick relief for acute bronchospasm but don't address inflammation, serving as short-term adjuncts. Antibiotics treat bacterial infections, irrelevant unless pneumonia complicates the case, which isn't typical in asthma. Antitussives suppress cough, counterproductive when cough clears mucus in asthma. The nurse anticipates corticosteroids often paired with beta-agonists per asthma guidelines (e.g., NHLBI), monitoring for delivery (e.g., MDI with spacer) and side effects (e.g., thrush), ensuring control of this chronic inflammatory state post-exacerbation.
Question 3 of 5
The nurse is preparing a patient for surgery. Aims of assessment before surgery include
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Preoperative assessment aims to establish the patient's baseline of normal function vital signs, labs, and health history to anticipate and prevent postoperative complications like infection or respiratory failure. This baseline guides anesthesia dosing and surgical planning, ensuring deviations (e.g., hypoxia) are quickly recognized. Planning postoperative care, educating the patient and family, and gathering equipment are critical but follow this initial step they're interventions, not the assessment's primary purpose. By documenting norms like respiratory rate or cardiac status, the nurse sets a reference for intraoperative and postoperative monitoring, reducing risks tied to individual variability. This foundational data collection aligns with safety protocols, enabling tailored care throughout the perioperative process.
Question 4 of 5
The nurse is providing preoperative teaching for the ambulatory surgery patient who will be having a cyst removed from the right arm. Which would be the best explanation for diet progression after surgery?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: For a minor procedure like arm cyst removal, starting with clear liquids, soup, and crackers, then advancing as tolerated, best supports diet progression. Anesthesia can slow gastrointestinal motility, risking nausea; a gradual approach tests tolerance, avoiding vomiting that could strain the surgical site. No limitations risk digestive upset from heavy foods too soon. A 24-hour clear liquid restriction is excessive for ambulatory surgery recovery is faster. Timed progression (2 hours each) is too rigid; tolerance varies. This flexible, patient-led explanation ensures comfort and hydration, aligning with ambulatory care standards for quick, safe recovery.
Question 5 of 5
The nurse is caring for a postoperative patient with a history of obstructive sleep apnea. The nurse monitors for which of the following?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: With obstructive sleep apnea, the nurse monitors for choking and noisy, irregular respirations signs of airway obstruction post-anesthesia. Anesthesia weakens pharyngeal muscles, and sleep apnea's baseline obstruction worsens this, risking hypoxia. Shallow respirations suggest depression, not obstruction. Pain reports are expected but unrelated to apnea. Disorientation may hint at hypoxia but isn't specific. Monitoring these respiratory signs ensures timely intervention (e.g., repositioning, oxygen), critical for this high-risk patient, per postoperative airway management standards.