Pre-Op
This is the nurse's primary legal responsibility during the informed consent process.
Witnessing the patient's signature and ensuring they are competent and doing so voluntarily.
This member of the surgical team is responsible for maintaining the sterile field and handing instruments to the surgeon.
What is The Scrub Nurse
This is the most important assessment a PACU nurse performs immediately upon receiving a patient from the OR
What is Airway Patency (and Respiratory Status).
This wave on the EKG represents the depolarization (contraction) of the atria.
The P wave.
Patients with allergies to bananas, avocados, or kiwis should be screened for this specific surgical risk.
What is Latex Allergy
This medication is the specific antidote used to treat Malignant Hyperthermia.
What is Dantrolene Sodium?
A patient who is post-op day 1 from abdominal surgery should be taught to use this device to prevent atelectasis and pneumonia.
Incisive Spirometer (IS)
This is the normal time duration for a QRS complex.
Less than 0.12 seconds (usually 0.04 to 0.10).
If a minor requires emergency surgery but the parent is not physically present, what are two legally acceptable ways to obtain consent?
What is Consent by proxy (emergency) or obtaining consent via a recorded telephone call.
During surgery, this safety intervention is performed by the entire team to verify the correct patient, site, and procedure.
The Surgical Time-Out.
These are three common nursing interventions used to prevent Postoperative DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis).
Leg exercises, SCDs/Compression stockings, and early ambulation.
On a standard EKG grid, one "large box" (composed of 5 small boxes) represents this amount of time.
0.20 seconds
These are the two primary clinical manifestations of Appendicitis that require the nurse to keep the patient NPO and avoid applying heat.
What is Right Lower Quadrant (RLQ) pain/McBurney's Point and Muscle Rigidity/Guarding.
When local anesthesia wears off, functions return in this specific order.
Motor first, then Sensory, then Autonomic.
This postoperative complication is characterized by a "popping" sensation and the protrusion of internal organs through an incision.
Evisceration (requires immediate coverage with sterile, saline-soaked gauze).
The ST segment should normally be flat; if it is significantly elevated, it may indicate this medical emergency.
Myocardial Infarction (MI) or heart attack.
This is the priority nursing action if a patient scheduled for surgery is found to have an elevated potassium level or abnormal EKG.
What is notify the surgeon and anesthesiologist immediatel
To prevent complications like pressure injuries or nerve damage, the nurse must ensure this is maintained when the patient is placed in the lithotomy or prone position.
Proper body alignment and padding of bony prominences.
If a patient’s urine output is less than 30 mL/hr after surgery, the nurse’s first action should be to check for this.
Kinks in the catheter tubing or bladder distension (assessing for obstruction).
This life-threatening rhythm is characterized by a "sawtooth" pattern and is caused by a rapid atrial rate.
Atrial Flutter.