A surgical patient has highly elevated AST and ALT levels. ...

[CharlieWard]

A surgical patient has highly elevated AST and ALT levels. Standard orders specify that she is to receive morphine sulfate 10 mg postoperatively. What action should the nurse take prior to administering the medication?
 
  A) Draw up half of the medication for administration.
  B) Notify the physician for a reduced dosage.
  C) Assess the patient's respiratory status.
  D) Assess the patient's pain tolerance.

Question 2

A 71-year-old man with a history of osteoarthritis is scheduled for hip replacement surgery, and the surgeon has ordered a first-generation cephalosporin to be administered before and after surgery as prophylaxis.
 
  Which of the following drugs is a first-generation cephalosporin? A) Cefotetan (Cefotan)
  B) Cefoxitin (Mefoxin)
  C) Ceftriaxone (Rocephin)
  D) Cefazolin (Ancef)

[voltaire123]

Answer to Question 1

B
Feedback:
Morphine and meperidine form pharmacologically active metabolites. Thus, liver impairment can interfere with metabolism, and kidney impairment can interfere with excretion. Drug accumulation and increased adverse effects may occur if dosage is not reduced. The nurse cannot administer half of the medication without a physician's order. It is important to assess the patient's respiratory status before administration, but this action is not the primary intervention in this case. Narcotics prior to surgery are administered to increase pain tolerance during the surgical procedure, not during the preoperative phase.

Answer to Question 2

D
Feedback:
Cefazolin (Ancef) is a first-generation cephalosporin. Cefotetan (Cefotan) and cefoxitin (Mefoxin) belong to the second generation, and ceftriaxone (Rocephin) is a third-generation cephalosporin.

[CharlieWard]

Excellent

[bulacsom]

TYSM