The nurse is monitoring a patient with Cushing\u2019s disease in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) following a hypophysectomy.
Which intervention is most important for the nurse to include in the patient\u2019s plan of care?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A.
Maintain nasal packing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
B.
Monitor intake and output.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
C.
Provide frequent oral care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
D.
Keep the head of the bed elevated to 30 degrees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Correct answer and Explanation is:<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The correct answer is A. Maintain nasal packing.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Cushing\u2019s disease is characterized by an excess of cortisol, often resulting from a pituitary tumor that stimulates the adrenal glands. A hypophysectomy, which involves the surgical removal of the pituitary gland, is performed to alleviate symptoms of Cushing\u2019s disease by reducing hormone production. In the immediate postoperative period, especially in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU), careful monitoring and specific interventions are critical for patient safety and recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maintaining nasal packing<\/strong> is the most important intervention for several reasons. After a hypophysectomy, there is a risk of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage due to the surgical approach, which often involves manipulating or removing portions of the pituitary gland located near the base of the skull. Nasal packing helps to provide pressure and support to the surgical site, reducing the risk of bleeding and potential CSF leakage. It also helps prevent the formation of a postoperative nasal drip, which can be indicative of a CSF leak and pose serious complications if not addressed promptly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other options, while important, do not take precedence over maintaining nasal packing. For instance, monitoring intake and output (B)<\/strong> is essential for assessing fluid balance, especially since patients may experience altered fluid balance due to surgery and hormonal changes, but it does not address immediate surgical risks. Providing frequent oral care (C)<\/strong> is important for comfort, particularly in patients who may experience dry mouth or throat post-anesthesia, but it is not a critical priority in the context of potential surgical complications. Lastly, keeping the head of the bed elevated to 30 degrees (D)<\/strong> can help reduce intracranial pressure and promote venous drainage, which is beneficial, but it also does not specifically address the primary concern of nasal packing integrity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In conclusion, maintaining nasal packing is vital for preventing complications related to the surgical procedure, making it the most important intervention for the nurse to include in the patient\u2019s plan of care in the PACU.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The nurse is monitoring a patient with Cushing\u2019s disease in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) following a hypophysectomy.Which intervention is most important for the nurse to include in the patient\u2019s plan of care? A.Maintain nasal packing. B.Monitor intake and output. C.Provide frequent oral care. D.Keep the head of the bed elevated to 30 degrees. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-142223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-exams-certification"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142223","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=142223"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142223\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=142223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=142223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=142223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Explanation:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n