An older patient who had knee replacement surgery 2 days ago can only tolerate being out of bed with physical therapy twice a day. Which collaborative problem should the nurse identify as a priority for this patient?
a. Potential complication: hypovolemic shock
b. Potential complication: venous thromboembolism
c. Potential complication: fluid and electrolyte imbalance
d. Potential complication: impaired surgical wound healing
ANS: B
The patient is older and relatively immobile, which are two risk factors for development of deep vein thrombosis. The other potential complications are possible postoperative problems, but they are not supported by the data about this patient.
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