A nurse is creating a plan care for a client who requires suture removal. Which of the following actions should the nurse plan to take?

A. Encourage client to consume foods with zinc: Zinc plays an important role in wound healing and immune function. Since this client has diabetes and an infected wound, zinc-rich foods can support tissue repair and recovery, making this prescription appropriate.

B. Apply ice pack to left foot for 30 min/hr: Ice is not appropriate for an infected wound because it can impair circulation and slow healing. Instead, treatment should focus on infection management, wound care, and improving blood flow.

C. Administer an oral antiviral medication: The client’s presentation is consistent with a bacterial infection, not a viral process. Purulent drainage, fever, and wound infection require antibacterial therapy, not antiviral medications.

D. Obtain a culture of the client's wound: Wound culture is necessary to identify the causative organism and guide antibiotic therapy. This is an important step in managing diabetic foot infections, which often involve resistant bacteria.

E. Administer tetanus toxoid injection: Since the wound occurred after stepping on glass or metal, there is a risk of tetanus exposure. Administering a tetanus booster is recommended if vaccination is not up to date or uncertain.

F. Apply transparent dressing over the client's wound: Transparent dressings are not suitable for infected wounds with drainage because they can trap moisture and bacteria. Instead, absorbent dressings should be used to promote healing.

G. Place client in airborne precautions: Airborne precautions are for illnesses such as tuberculosis or measles. A foot wound infection does not spread via airborne transmission, so this is unnecessary.

Rationale for correct choices:

• Pneumonia: The client has an elevated temperature, productive cough with thick white mucus, and mild crackles in the upper lobes. These findings, combined with recent immobility after surgery, indicate pulmonary infection risk.
• Respiratory findings: Crackles, cough, and sputum production directly support pneumonia as the complication most consistent with the client’s presentation.

Rationale for incorrect choices:

• Deep vein thrombosis: Although the client has nonpitting edema in the right leg, distal circulation is intact (pedal pulse 2+, capillary refill <2 seconds, foot warm). No calf pain, erythema, or unilateral swelling progression is reported.
• Urinary tract infection: The client voided a large amount of amber urine without dysuria, urgency, or suprapubic discomfort. No urinary abnormalities have been noted to suggest UTI.
• Nonpitting edema: This finding is expected locally after knee arthroplasty and does not indicate systemic infection.
• Elevated temperature: Fever alone is nonspecific and could be related to multiple postoperative risks; the respiratory findings provide more precise evidence for pneumonia.