Question 1

Verification that all required documentation is completed is an important function of the intraoperative nurse. The intraoperative nurse should confirm that the patients accompanying documentation includes which of the following?

Accepted Answer

It is important to review the patients record for the following: correct informed surgical consent, with patients signature; completed records for health history and physical examination; results of diagnostic studies; and allergies (including latex). Discharge planning records and prescriptions are not normally
necessary. Educational resources would not be included at this stage of the surgical process.

Question 2

A patient will be undergoing a total hip arthroplasty later in the day and it is anticipated that the patient may require blood transfusion during surgery. How can the nurse best ensure the patients safety if a blood transfusion is required?

Accepted Answer

Few patients undergoing an elective procedure require blood transfusion, but those undergoing high-risk procedures may require an intraoperative transfusion. The circulating nurse anticipates this need, checks that blood has been cross-matched and held in reserve, and is prepared to administer blood. Storing the blood at body temperature or in IV tubing would result in spoilage and potential infection.

Question 3

The circulating nurse is admitting a patient prior to surgery and proceeds to greet the patient and discuss what the patient can expect in surgery. What aspect of therapeutic communication should the nurse implement?

Accepted Answer

When discussing what the patient can expect in surgery, the nurse uses basic communication skills, such as touch and eye contact, to reduce anxiety. The nurse should use language the patient can understand. The nurse should not withhold communication until the patient initiates dialogue; the nurse most often needs to initiate and guide dialogue, while still responding to patient leading. Giving medication is not a communication skill.

Question 4

A patient who underwent a bowel resection to correct diverticula suffered irreparable nerve damage.
During the case review, the team is determining if incorrect positioning may have contributed to the patients nerve damage. What surgical position places the patient at highest risk for nerve damage?

Accepted Answer

Shoulder braces must be well padded to prevent irreparable nerve injury, especially when the Trendelenburg position is necessary. The other listed positions are less likely to cause nerve injury.

Question 5

The patients surgery is nearly finished and the surgeon has opted to use tissue adhesives to close the surgical wound. This requires the nurse to prioritize assessments related to what complication?

Accepted Answer

Fibrin sealants are used in a variety of surgical procedures, and cyanoacrylate tissue adhesives are used to close wounds without the use of sutures. These sealants have been implicated in allergic reactions and anaphylaxis. There is not an increased risk of malignant hyperthermia, hypothermia, or infection because of the use of tissue adhesives.

Question 6

As an intraoperative nurse, you are the advocate for each of the patients who receives care in the surgical setting. How can you best exemplify the principles of patient advocacy?

Accepted Answer

Patient advocacy in the OR entails maintaining the patients physical and emotional comfort, privacy, rights, and dignity. Deep breathing is not necessary before surgery and obtaining informed consent is the purview of the physician. Family contact should not be limited.

Question 7

The nurse is caring for a patient who is scheduled to have a needle biopsy of the pleura. The patient has had a consultation with the anesthesiologist and a conduction block will be used. Which local conduction block can be used to block the nerves leading to the chest?

Accepted Answer

Examples of common local conduction blocks include paravertebral anesthesia, which produces anesthesia of the nerves supplying the chest, abdominal wall, and extremities; brachial plexus block, which produces anesthesia of the arm; and transsacral (caudal) block, which produces anesthesia of the perineum and, occasionally, the lower abdomen. A peudental block was used in obstetrics before the almost-routine use of epidural anesthesia.

Question 8

When creating plans of nursing care for patients who are undergoing surgery using general anesthetic, what nursing diagnoses should the nurse identify? Select all that apply.

Accepted Answer

Based on the assessment data, some major nursing diagnoses may include the following: anxiety related to surgical or environmental concerns, risk of latex allergy response due to possible exposure to latex in the OR environment, risk for perioperative positioning injury related to positioning in the OR, risk for injury related to anesthesia and surgical procedure, or disturbed sensory perception (global) related to general anesthesia or sedation. Malnutrition and disturbed body image are much less likely.

Question 9

The intraoperative nurse is implementing a care plan that addresses the surgical patients risk for vomiting. Interventions that address the potential for vomiting reduce the risk of what subsequent surgical complication?

Accepted Answer

If the patient aspirates vomitus, an asthma-like attack with severe bronchial spasms and wheezing is triggered. Pneumonitis and pulmonary edema can subsequently develop, leading to extreme hypoxia. Vomiting can cause choking, but the question asks about aspirated vomitus. Malignant hyperthermia is an adverse reaction to anesthesia. Aspirated vomitus does not cause hypothermia. Vomiting does not result in impaired skin integrity.

Question 10

The perioperative nurse is constantly assessing the surgical patient for signs and symptoms of complications of surgery. Which symptom should first signal to the nurse the possibility that the patient is developing malignant hyperthermia?

Accepted Answer

The initial symptoms of malignant hyperthermia are related to cardiovascular and musculoskeletal activity. Tachycardia (heart rate greater than 150 beats per minute) is often the earliest sign. Oliguria, hypotension, and increased temperature are later signs of malignant hyperthermia.

Question 11

As a perioperative nurse, you know that the National Patient Safety Goals have the potential to improve patient outcomes in a wide variety of health care settings. Which of these Goals has the most direct relevance to the OR?

Accepted Answer

The National Patient Safety Goals all pertain to the perioperative areas, but the one with the most direct relevance to the OR is the reduction of the risk of surgical fires.

Question 12

The perioperative nurse has completed the presurgical assessment of an 82-year-old female patient who is scheduled for a left total knee replacement. When planning this patients care, the nurse should address the consequences of the patients aging cardiovascular system. These include an increased risk of which of the following?

Accepted Answer

The aging heart and blood vessels have decreased ability to respond to stress. Reduced cardiac output
and limited cardiac reserve make the elderly patient vulnerable to changes in circulating volume and blood oxygen levels. There is not an increased risk for hypopnea, hyperkalemia, or hyperphosphatemia because of an aging cardiovascular system.

Question 13

The nurse knows that elderly patients are at higher risk for complications and adverse outcomes during the intraoperative period. What is the best rationale for this phenomenon?

Accepted Answer

Factors that affect the elderly surgical patient in the intraoperative period include the following: impaired ability to increase metabolic rate and impaired thermoregulatory mechanisms increase susceptibility to hypothermia. Bone loss (25\% in women, $12 \%$ in men) necessitates careful manipulation and positioning during surgery. Reduced ability to adjust rapidly to emotional and physical stress influences surgical outcomes and requires meticulous observation of vital functions. Older adults do not have more angular bones than younger people.

Question 14

As an intraoperative nurse, you know that the patients emotional state can influence the outcome of his or her surgical procedure. How would you best reinforce the patients ability to influence outcome?

Accepted Answer

Because the patients emotional state remains a concern, the care initiated by preoperative nurses is continued by the intraoperative nursing staff that provides the patient with information and reassurance. The nurse supports coping strategies and reinforces the patients ability to influence outcomes by encouraging active participation in the plan of care incorporating cultural, ethnic, and religious considerations, as appropriate. Buddying a patient is normally inappropriate and distraction may or may
not be effective. Nonpharmacologic measures should be prioritized.

Question 15

Maintaining an aseptic environment in the OR is essential to patient safety and infection control. When moving around surgical areas, what distance must the nurse maintain from the sterile field?

Accepted Answer

Sterile areas must be kept in view during movement around the area. At least a 1-foot distance from the sterile field must be maintained to prevent inadvertent contamination.

Question 16

The OR nurse is providing care for a 25 -year-old major trauma patient who has been involved in a motorcycle accident. The nurse should know that the patient is at increased risk for what complication of surgery?

Accepted Answer

The Joint Commission has issued an alert regarding the phenomenon of patients being partially awake while under general anesthesia (referred to as anesthesia awareness). Patients at greatest risk of anesthesia awareness are cardiac, obstetric, and major trauma patients. This patient does not likely face a heightened risk of respiratory depression or hypothermia. Moderate sedation is not a complication.

Question 17

The OR nurse is participating in the appendectomy of a 20 year-old female patient who has a dangerously low body mass index. The nurse recognizes the patients consequent risk for hypothermia. What action should the nurse implement to prevent the development of hypothermia?

Accepted Answer

Warmed IV fluids can prevent the development of hypothermia. Applying warmed bags of saline around the patient is not common practice. The patient is not transfused to prevent hypothermia. Blood pressure and heart rate monitoring are important, but do not relate directly to the risk for hypothermia.

Question 18

A 68-year-old patient is scheduled for a bilateral mastectomy. The OR nurse has come out to the holding area to meet the patient and quickly realizes that the patient is profoundly anxious. What is the most appropriate intervention for the nurse to apply?

Accepted Answer

The nurse can alleviate anxiety by supplying information as the patient requests it. The nurse should not assume that every patient wants as much detail as possible and false reassurance must be avoided.
Reminding the patient that she will be unconscious is unlikely to reduce anxiety.

Question 19

A 59-year-old male patient is scheduled for a hemorrhoidectomy. The OR nurse should anticipate assisting the other team members with positioning the patient in what manner?

Accepted Answer

The lithotomy position is used for nearly all perineal, rectal, and vaginal surgical procedures. The Sims or lateral position is used for renal surgery and the Trendelenburg position usually is used for surgery on the lower abdomen and pelvis. The usual position for surgery, called the dorsal recumbent position, is flat on the back, but this would be impracticable for rectal surgery.

Quiz 18: Intraoperative Nursing Management