The nurse assesses the preoperative clients for potential postoperative referrals to the wound care team. Which client assessment data does the nurse use to identify the client who is least likely to have delayed postoperative wound healing?

Question

1. 8 weeks post partum from live vaginal birth in for tubal ligation
2. More than 70 years old, coronary artery disease and hypertension
3. 6-week course of radiation therapy for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
4. Chronic obstructive lung disease on long-term prednisone therapy

Answer 1

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1. The client with the lowest risk of delayed wound healing is the client scheduled for a tubal ligation because the client is likely to be 40 years old or younger, decreasing the risk for chronic disease. The client is likely to have generally good health as evidenced by a live vaginal birth.
2. The older client with coronary artery disease and hypertension has atherosclerotic lesions in the heart aggravated by high blood pressure. The client is likely to have atherosclerotic lesions in other vessels because atherosclerosis is a nonselective disease; thus, the client is at risk for de-layed healing due to the potential for impaired tissue perfusion.
3. Radiation therapy increases the risk of postradiation scarring and fibrosis, increasing the risk of delayed healing.
4. The client taking prednisone is at high risk for delayed healing because glucocorticoids sup-press inflammation and the immune system.