What special considerations will Mrs Stoop require during intubation? Provide rationales for your answers
Mrs Angela Stoop is about to arrive in the operating theatre from the emergency department to undergo an emergency laparotomy. She last ate 2 hours ago.
What will be an ideal response?
Answer:
Fluid loss/replacement
Mrs Stoop may require a nasogastric tube if she does not already have one in situ. A nasal gastric tube can also be suctioned prior to intubation, therefore reducing the risk of aspiration.
Replace fluid and electrolyte losses as she may be dehydrated due to vomiting. Crystalloid solutions such as IV Hartmann's or plasmalyte are the fluids of choice. These fluids are isotonic and are equivalent in osmolarity to plasma. They are used to replace maintenance fluid requirements, evaporative losses and third space losses (Lynn &Winner, 2014).
Fluids should be warmed as surgery could be lengthy and inadvertent perioperative hypothermia can occur
DVT prophylaxis
As surgery is likely to last more than 30 minutess, calf compressors and anti-embolic stockings are recommended to prevent DVT.
Maintain normothermia
Maintaining normothermia can positively affect wound healing and patient comfort, reducing the length of stay in PACU.
As surgery could be lengthy, IV fluids should be primed on a fluid warmer and a forced-air warming blanket applied to the upper and lower body.
You might also like to view...
The nurse is caring for a patient who is complaining of tingling in her hands and fingers. The nurse knows this is a sign of what electrolyte imbalance?
a. Hyponatremia b. Hypernatremia c. Hypocalcemia d. Hypercalcemia
When performing an assessment that focuses on a set of standardized connections to graphically record basic information about family members and their relationships over three generations, the nurse uses
a. an ecomap. b. a gendergram. c. family time lines. d. a genogram.
A nurse teaches a patient taking an MAOI antidepressant about important dietary guidelines. Which nutritional choices by the patient indicate that the teaching was effective? Select all that apply
a. Sausage b. Avocados c. Pork chops d. Strawberries e. Chocolate chip cookies
What is the primary goal of the National League for Nursing?
a. Advocate for the needs of registered nurses to promote patient safety b. Establish and maintain standards for nursing education c. Support global health policies and improve health worldwide d. Foster nursing scholarship, leadership, and service to improve health worldwide