A patient diagnosed with oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy has been admitted for ankle surgery. What interventions should the nurse plan?
1. Provide eye patches for times when the patient cannot close the eyes.
2. Modify food consistency to allow for easier swallowing.
3. Notify anesthesiology about the patient's history.
4. Monitor for the development of fluid in the lungs.
2
Rationale 1: Inability to open and close the eyes is associated with facioscapulohumeral disease.
Rationale 2: Patients with oculopharyngeal MD have difficulty swallowing. Modifying food consistency helps protect quality of life.
Rationale 3: Persons with myotonic muscular dystrophy may have adverse reaction to anesthesia.
Rationale 4: Fluid in the lungs is common with some forms of MD, but less so with oculopharnyngeal MD.
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