Author Question: Which patient does the nurse classify as facing the highest surgical risk? a. 40-year-old with ... (Read 41 times)

codyclark · **on:** Jul 23, 2018

Which patient does the nurse classify as facing the highest surgical risk?

a. 40-year-old with hepatitis secondary to past IV drug use
b. 83-year-old with medically controlled hypertension
c. 6-month-old with congenital heart anomaly and early stage liver disease
d. 28-year-old taking anticoagulants secondary to mitral valve prolapse

Question 2

The nurse is caring for a patient scheduled for repair of a torn rotator cuff. The nurse understands that this surgery will be classified as:

a. Reconstructive, minor, elective
b. Cosmetic, minor, urgent
c. Ablative, major, emergency,
d. Reconstructive, major, urgent

pikon · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 23, 2018

Answer to Question 1

C
The 6-month-old patient has the risks of very young age, cardiac problems, and liver disease and can be assumed to take multiple medications, making this the patient with the highest risk. Although the 40-year-old patient has an alteration in liver function, there are no other risk factors and the patient's drug use occurred in the past. Although the 83-year-old patient has the risk factors of older age and hypertension, this is not the patient with the highest risk because the infant has even more risk factors. The 28-year-old patient has two risk factors (anticoagulants and mitral valve prolapse) and is not the one with the highest risk.

Answer to Question 2

A
Reconstructive surgery is performed to restore function. It is minor surgery and can be done on an outpatient basis; it is elective because life is not threatened if the repair is not done (although quality of life may decline). Cosmetic surgery is performed to improve appearance, which does not apply to this surgery; this patient's surgery is not considered an urgent surgery because life is not threatened by the torn rotator cuff. Ablative surgery involves removal of a diseased part (nothing will be removed during this patient's surgery); furthermore, this patient's surgery is not an emergency, and it is not major surgery (which involves essential body organs). Although this surgery is reconstructive, it is not a surgery that needs to be urgently performed, and it is not major surgery because it can be performed on an outpatient basis.