Author Question: The client requires a sterile dressing change. Which of the following is an appropriate intervention ... (Read 55 times)

james9437 · **on:** Jul 22, 2018

The client requires a sterile dressing change. Which of the following is an appropriate intervention for the nurse to implement in maintaining sterile asepsis?

a. Put sterile gloves on before opening sterile packages.
b. Check integrity of sterile packages prior to use.
c. Place the cap of the sterile solution well within the sterile field.
d. Place sterile items on the very edge of the sterile drape.

Question 2

A patient with sepsis as a result of long-term leukemia dies 25 hours after admission to the hospital. A full code was conducted without success. The patient had a urinary catheter, an intravenous line, an oxygen cannula, and a nasogastric tube.

What question is priority for the nurse to ask the family before beginning postmortem care? a. Do you want to assist in bathing your loved one?
b. Is an autopsy going to be done?
c. To which funeral home do you want your loved one transported?
d. Do you want me to remove the lines and tubes before you see your loved one?

coyin · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 22, 2018

Answer to Question 1

B
Checking the integrity of sterile packages prior to use is important to ensure that the contents of the package are sterile.
Sterile gloves are not put on before opening sterile packages, as the outside of the packages are not sterile. The nurse uses hand hygiene and opens sterile packages, being careful to keep the inner contents sterile.
After a cap or lid is removed, it is held in the hand or placed sterile side (inside) up on a clean surface. A bottle cap or lid should never rest on a sterile surface, even though the inside of the cap is sterile.
The edges of a sterile field are considered to be contaminated. Sterile items should be placed in the middle of the sterile field to maintain sterile asepsis.

Answer to Question 2

B
An autopsy or postmortem examination may be requested by the patient or the patient's family, as part of an institutional policy, or if required by law. Because the patient's death occurred as a result of long-term illness, not under suspicious circumstances, and more than 24 hours after admission to the hospital, whether to conduct a postmortem examination would be decided by the family, and consent would have to be obtained from the family. The nurse needs to know the policy to follow regarding removal of lines when an autopsy is to be done. Asking about bathing the deceased patient is a valid question but is not priority, because the nurse needs to know the protocol to follow if an autopsy is to be done. Finding out which funeral home the deceased patient is to be transported to is valid but is not priority, because other actions must be taken before the deceased patient is transported from the hospital. Removal of lines and tubes is not a decision made by the family if an autopsy is to be done. The nurse must first check the protocol to be followed.