Practice Question
The nurse in preadmission testing learns that a client scheduled for a total hip replacement in three weeks smokes one pack of cigarettes per day. Which action(s) should the nurse take? Select all that apply.
Answer Choices:
Correct Answer:
Explain the increased risk for venous thromboembolism after surgery.
Rationale:
Explain increased VTE risk:
◈ Total hip replacement carries a high baseline risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE); smoking adds prothrombotic and endothelial-injury risks.
◈ Educating on VTE risk reinforces the importance of early ambulation, pharmacologic prophylaxis, and SCDs postoperatively.
◈ Understanding risk improves adherence to mobility goals and anticoagulation protocols if prescribed.
◈ This teaching ties smoking to perioperative complications, motivating behavior change.
◈ Clear risk discussion supports informed participation in the plan of care.
Provide cessation resources:
◈ Offering smoking-cessation resources (NRT, counseling, quit lines) is evidence-based and improves quit rates.
◈ Even a few smoke-free weeks preop improves pulmonary function and wound healing.
◈ Concrete resources convert advice into an actionable plan.
◈ Documenting resources given ensures continuity across the perioperative team.
◈ Empowering cessation enhances short- and long-term outcomes.
Encourage cessation before surgery:
◈ Preoperative abstinence reduces atelectasis, pneumonia, bronchospasm, and SSI risk and may shorten LOS.
◈ The earlier the quit date, the greater the physiologic recovery (e.g., ciliary function and oxygenation).
◈ Setting a quit date and follow-ups raises success rates.
◈ Positive, nonjudgmental counseling improves engagement.
◈ Cessation aligns with enhanced recovery and safer anesthesia.
Notify the surgeon:
◈ Communicating smoking status to the surgeon/anesthesia team ensures planning for airway, analgesia, and pulmonary risk.
◈ The provider may initiate preop optimization (e.g., NRT) and adjust VTE prophylaxis or respiratory strategies.
◈ Team awareness promotes targeted postop monitoring for respiratory compromise.
◈ This handoff meets safety and documentation standards in preadmission testing.
◈ Early notification supports a coordinated perioperative plan.
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This question is from Adult Nursing II-Exam 1 which contains 56 questions.
More Questions from This Exam
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Answer Choices:
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Answer Choices:
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The nurse is checking the informed consent for an older adult client who requires surgery and who has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. When obtaining informed consent, who is legally responsible for signing?
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A client waiting in the presurgical holding area asks the nurse, "Why exactly do they have to put a breathing tube into me? My surgery is on my knee." What is the best rationale for intubation during a surgical procedure that the nurse should describe?
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Question Details
- Category: RN Nursing Exam(s)
- Subcategory: Examplify Exam(s)
- Domain: Medical-Surgical
- Answer Choices: 5