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
A patient is 2 days post-colostomy surgery and the stoma appears dark purple. What does this indicate?
Answer: Ischemia of the stoma requiring immediate reporting
A dark purple or black stoma indicates impaired blood flow and ischemia, which is an emergency requiring immediate surgical notification.
Which intraoperative position places a patient at highest risk for air embolism?
Answer: Sitting (beach chair) position
The sitting position creates a pressure gradient that allows air to enter open venous sinuses, making venous air embolism a significant risk.
A patient undergoing a laparoscopic procedure develops sudden onset hypotension, bradycardia, and decreased SpO2 after insufflation. The nurse suspects:
Answer: CO2 embolism from pneumoperitoneum
CO2 embolism is a known complication of laparoscopic surgery when gas enters the vasculature, causing cardiovascular collapse and hypoxia.
When teaching a patient about postoperative incentive spirometry, the nurse instructs the patient to:
Answer: Inhale slowly and deeply to maximally expand alveoli
Incentive spirometry requires slow, maximal inhalation to fully expand alveoli and prevent atelectasis — the primary postoperative pulmonary complication.
A nurse is preparing to transfer an unconscious patient from the OR table to the transport stretcher. The minimum number of people required for a safe transfer is:
Answer: Four
A minimum of four people is required to safely transfer an unconscious patient — one at each extremity side, one at the head controlling the airway, and one directing.
A patient with a history of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is admitted to the PACU. Which postoperative monitoring is most critical for this patient?
Answer: Continuous pulse oximetry and capnography
Patients with OSA are at high risk for postoperative respiratory depression; continuous SpO2 and capnography monitoring is essential to detect early desaturation and hypoventilation.
The nurse preparing a patient for surgery uses the SBAR format to communicate a critical preoperative finding to the surgeon. In which component would the nurse state 'the patient's potassium is 2.8 mEq/L'?
Answer: Situation
The Situation component of SBAR describes the current clinical problem or concern — reporting the specific abnormal lab value belongs here.