The nurse is educating a client scheduled for elective surgery. The client currently takes aspirin daily. What education will the nurse provide regarding this medication?
Continue to take the aspirin as ordered.
Aspirin should be increased until 3 days before surgery, then discontinued until 3 days after surgery.
Stop taking the aspirin 7 days before the surgery, unless otherwise directed by the physician.
Take half doses of the aspirin until 1 week after surgery.
The Correct Answer is C
Choice A reason: Continuing aspirin increases bleeding risk during surgery due to its antiplatelet effect, inhibiting clot formation for 7–10 days. This can lead to excessive intraoperative hemorrhage, making it an incorrect instruction, as stopping aspirin is standard to ensure hemostasis.
Choice B reason: Increasing aspirin heightens bleeding risk, as its antiplatelet effect persists for 7–10 days. Discontinuing only 3 days prior is insufficient, and resuming 3 days post-surgery risks bleeding, making this an incorrect and unsafe instruction for surgical preparation.
Choice C reason: Stopping aspirin 7 days before surgery is standard, as its antiplatelet effect lasts 7–10 days, reducing bleeding risk. This allows platelet function to normalize, preventing hemorrhage, making it the correct instruction, with physician guidance for conditions like cardiac stents.
Choice D reason: Taking half doses of aspirin does not mitigate its antiplatelet effect, which persists for 7–10 days, increasing surgical bleeding risk. This is insufficient to ensure hemostasis, making it an incorrect instruction compared to stopping aspirin 7 days prior for safer outcomes.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is B
Explanation
Choice A reason: Wheezes are high-pitched, musical sounds caused by narrowed airways, common in asthma or COPD exacerbations. They do not clear with coughing and are not moist or rumbling, making this an incorrect description for the lung sounds heard, which improve after coughing in this COPD client.
Choice B reason: Rhonchi are low-pitched, moist, rumbling sounds caused by secretions in larger airways, often in COPD. They improve with coughing as secretions are mobilized, matching the description provided. This makes rhonchi the accurate term for documenting these lung sounds, reflecting secretion accumulation in COPD.
Choice C reason: Crackles are fine or coarse popping sounds caused by fluid in smaller airways or alveoli, often in pneumonia or heart failure. They do not clear with coughing and are not rumbling, making crackles an incorrect choice for the moist, rumbling sounds that improve after coughing.
Choice D reason: Pleural friction rub is a grating sound caused by inflamed pleural surfaces, often in pleurisy. It is not moist or rumbling and does not improve with coughing, making it an inappropriate description for the lung sounds heard in this client with COPD, which are secretion-related.
Correct Answer is ["B","C","D"]
Explanation
Choice A reason: Bradycardia is not typical in emphysema, where chronic hypoxia and hypercapnia cause tachycardia as the heart compensates for reduced oxygenation. Emphysema’s impact on lung function does not slow heart rate, making this an unexpected finding in this client with chronic respiratory disease.
Choice B reason: Barrel chest is a classic emphysema finding, resulting from chronic air trapping and lung hyperinflation. Over time, the chest wall expands, increasing the anteroposterior diameter, as alveoli lose elasticity, leading to persistent lung hyperinflation, a hallmark of advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Choice C reason: Clubbing of the fingers occurs in emphysema due to chronic hypoxia, stimulating vascular changes in the nail beds. This leads to bulbous fingertip enlargement, reflecting long-term oxygen deprivation, a common finding in advanced COPD as the body adapts to chronic respiratory insufficiency.
Choice D reason: Cachectic appearance is common in emphysema due to increased metabolic demand from labored breathing and systemic inflammation. Muscle wasting and weight loss occur as the body prioritizes energy for respiratory effort, making cachexia a frequent finding in advanced emphysema, reflecting chronic disease burden.
Choice E reason: Weight gain is not typical in emphysema, where cachexia is common due to high metabolic demand and inflammation. Weight gain may occur in conditions like heart failure but is not a hallmark of emphysema, making this an unexpected finding in this client.
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