A patient who had abdominal surgery is complaining of "gas pains" and has distention of the abdomen and flatus. To promote patient comfort, the nurse should advise:

A nurse preparing to get a patient out of bed for the first time since surgery will initially:

A postoperative patient experiences separation of the layers of his abdominal surgical wound during coughing. Separation of the layers of a surgical wound is known as

After the surgery, the patient is transferred to the PACU. Functions of the nurse in the PACU are to

General Anesthesia is when a nerve block such as a spinal, caudal, epidural, or peripheral block is administered.

The second day post-operatively, the NG tube is removed and an order is written for fluids as tolerated and a liquid diet. The patient is eager to try taking fluids. What should the nurse recommend that he do?

The illiterate patient signs the surgical consent form with an "X." The nurse is aware that this "X" is:

A patient who had surgery earlier in the day using general anesthesia asks whether he can have something to eat. The diet order indicates clear liquids can be taken. Before giving a Jell O to the patient, the nurse should check for the presence of:

While completing the preoperative checklist, a patient who is almost ready for transport to the operating room states that he does not want to remove his wedding band. The nurse should:

A nurse is reinforcing preoperative teaching with a client who will undergo abdominal surgery. The nurse explains that the client will wear antiembolism stockings after the procedure. When the client asks what the stockings do, which of the following responses should the nurse make?

A nurse is collecting data from a client who is 2 days postoperative. The nurse auscultates bilateral breath sounds but absent breath sounds in the bases. The nurse should suspect which of the following postoperative complications?