A postoperative patient is reporting pain as a 7 on a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being the worst pain. The nurse caring for the patient assesses vital signs of HR, 76; RR, 16; and BP, 110/70
The patient has vomited twice. Which postoperative medications will the nurse expect to administer?
a. Atropine and morphine
b. Bethanechol and ibuprofen
c. Morphine and ondansetron [Zofran]
d. Promethazine and clonidine [Catapres]
C
This patient is experiencing postoperative symptoms of moderate to severe pain and nausea and vomiting. Morphine is used postoperatively for this degree of pain, and ondansetron is one of the most effective antiemetics. Atropine is an anticholinergic drug and usually is given preoperatively or perioperatively to prevent bradycardia. Bethanechol is a muscarinic agonist that is used to counter postoperative abdominal distention and urinary retention. Ibuprofen can be used, but it is effective only for mild postoperative pain. Promethazine is less effective as an antiemetic and can be used, but clonidine, marketed as Catapres, is used for postoperative hypertension.
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a. Assess the time interval between doses received b. Have T.C. state her pain level on a scale of 1 to 10 c. Determine how many doses of medication T.C. received d. Appraise whether T.C. understands the purpose of PCA therapy