Preop/Post Op
The nurse may serve as a witness to the client's signature on this document after the physician has explained the procedure, risks, benefits, & complications, before sedation is given, and before surgery is performed.
What is an informed consent?
These are responsibilities of the scrub nurse/tech.
What are counting, monitoring the sterile environment, and handing instructions to the surgeon?
An allergy to avocado, kiwi, or bananas puts patients at greater risk for this common allergy.
What is latex?
This is a genetic linked reaction to anesthesia medications with early signs and symptoms being elevated heart rate, usually above 150.
What is malignant hyperthermia?
This tool is used by patients to help prevent the development of atelectasis and pneumonia.
What is the incentive spirometer?
A patient who is having abdominal surgery should always receive teaching on these 2 post op activity in the pre-op stage to prevent atelectasis and promote mobility.
What is coughing/deep breathing and splinting.
In this step, the patient's identification, surgical site marking, signed consent and procedure being performed are all verified for the final time.
What is a time out or time out for safety?
Obese patients are at greater risk for this post surgical wound healing complication.
What is Dehiscence (most likely to occur 1 week post op)
These criteria are what patients must achieve to leave the PACU (Post Anesthesia Care Unit).
A patient must have stable vital signs, supporting their own airway, and pain level is controlled.
Events such as *surgery on the wrong body part *surgery on the wrong patient *foreign body left in a patient after surgery *surgical site infections after certain elective procedures *wrong surgery on patient* would be considered under this term
What is Never or sentinel events?
This type of surgery is done to confirm or rule out a diagnosis. Examples include a biopsy and fine needle aspiration.
What is diagnostic (exploratory) surgery
These are early and late signs of malignant hyperthermia.
Early: What is tachycardia, and elevated C02.
Late: Muscle spasms/rigidity, elevated temperature,
These are the responsibilities of the circulating nurse.
What are ensuring patient safety, assisting with the count, and documentation.
This order means that once a patient is free of nausea/vomiting, has a present gag reflex, and is alert and oriented, the nurse may start giving PO fluids and slowly introduce solids.
What is an advance as tolerated diet?
This is the nurse's primary responsibility for the care of a patient undergoing surgery.
What is Safety (via developing an individualized plan of nursing care for the patient)?
This is when a surgical incision busts open. If organs protrude from the surgical site, then it is called this.
What is dehiscence and evisceration?
These are actions by the surgical team that would contaminate a sterile field.
Reaching across the sterile field, turning away from sterile field, placing items in sterile field that aren't sterile, leaving sterile field unattended, etc?
This is a device that allows fluids to drain from a surgical incision. It must have a compressed bulb to work properly.
What is a JP/ Jackson-Pratt drain?
A nurse must notify the surgeon if any of these events happen after the patient has given informed consent.
What is *patient doesn't understand procedure* *patient would like to seek alternative treatment* *patient decides to not have surgery*
This is a test done on all women of childbearing age.
What is a pregnancy test?
This population experiences decreased thirst, decreased water in body, decreased kidney/liver/cardiac function, more likely to have chronic illness, decreased sensory function and are more difficult to extubate.
What is the elderly population or geriatric population?
Once a patient is finished in the intraoperative phase, they will transition to this specialty unit.
What is the PACU? Post anesthesia care unit.
These are 5 signs of post-op infection that must be reported to the provider.
What are redness (erythema), swelling (edema), pain, fever, and purulent (yellow/green pus) drainage ?
These are signs that peristalsis is returning.
What are return of bowel sounds, passing of flatus (gas/farting)?
Early ambulation helps reduce these three potential problems after surgery.
What is atelectasis/pneumonia, deep vein thrombosis and constipation?