A nurse is providing discharge instructions about clean intermittent self-catheterization to a patient who has benign prostatic hyperplasia.
Which of the following instructions should the nurse include?

Choice A rationale

Stopping aspirin a week before surgery is generally recommended to reduce the risk of bleeding. Aspirin can inhibit platelet aggregation and prolong bleeding time.

Choice B rationale

Taking prescribed blood pressure medication with a sip of water on the day of surgery is usually allowed. However, this can depend on the specific medication and the patient’s health status.

Choice C rationale

Not wearing contact lenses on the day of surgery is a standard preoperative instruction. This is because contact lenses can interfere with anesthesia administration and potentially cause injury to the eyes.

Choice D rationale

A recent cough and runny nose could indicate a respiratory infection. This could potentially increase the risk of complications during surgery and may need to be evaluated further. OK. Let’s go through these questions one by one:

Choice A rationale

The symptoms described, including the paradoxical movement of the chest wall (moving inward during inspiration and outward during expiration), are indicative of a flail chest, which is a life-threatening condition that occurs when a segment of the rib cage breaks due to trauma and becomes detached from the rest of the chest wall.

Choice B rationale

Hemothorax is a collection of blood in the space between the chest wall and the lung (the pleural cavity). It’s often caused by chest trauma. It does not cause the chest to move inward during inspiration and outward during expiration.

Choice C rationale

Atelectasis is a complete or partial collapse of the entire lung or area (lobe) of the lung. It does not cause the chest to move inward during inspiration and outward during expiration.

Choice D rationale

Pneumothorax is a collapsed lung. It does not cause the chest to move inward during inspiration and outward during expiration.