Perioperative Flashcards
7 cards from real CMSRN practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Perioperative flashcards as text
The nurse is performing a preoperative assessment and learns the patient has a latex allergy. Which intervention is MOST important?
Answer: Notify the entire perioperative team and ensure a latex-free environment
The entire perioperative team must be notified and a fully latex-free environment ensured to prevent potentially life-threatening anaphylaxis.
A patient is scheduled for a thyroidectomy. Which preoperative assessment is most specific to this procedure?
Answer: Baseline voice quality and neck range of motion
Baseline voice quality and neck mobility are critical because thyroidectomy risks injury to the recurrent laryngeal nerve, affecting voice postoperatively.
Which of the following is the correct order for the surgical hand scrub?
Answer: Nails → fingertips → hands → forearms
The surgical scrub begins at the nails/fingertips (most contaminated) and progresses to the forearms, working from most-to-least contaminated.
A patient is being discharged after same-day surgery under monitored anesthesia care. Which discharge criterion is most important to verify?
Answer: The patient has a responsible adult driver
Having a responsible adult driver is critical because residual sedation impairs judgment and driving ability, creating significant safety risk.
Intraoperatively, the scrub technician's gown is splashed with blood. The correct response is to:
Answer: Notify the surgeon; the gown must be changed immediately using sterile technique
A contaminated gown compromises sterile technique and must be changed immediately to maintain sterility and prevent infection.
A postoperative patient receiving PCA morphine has a respiratory rate of 8 breaths/min and is difficult to arouse. The FIRST nursing action is:
Answer: Administer naloxone and stop the PCA
Opioid-induced respiratory depression with somnolence requires immediate naloxone administration and PCA cessation to reverse narcosis.
The nurse is reviewing a consent form signed by a patient who is now medicated with midazolam. The nurse should:
Answer: Verify with the chart when the consent was signed relative to medication administration
Consent must be obtained before sedation; the nurse must verify the timeline, as midazolam impairs cognition and renders post-medication consent invalid.