A Postoperative Client That Recently Returned from Surgery Has a Morphine

question 28

Multiple Choice

A postoperative client that recently returned from surgery has a morphine PCA pump. The basal rate is ordered to be 1 mg/hour and the patient can have a 1-mg bolus every 15 minutes. When the nurse assesses the client, the nurse finds the client stuporous, hard to arouse, with a respiratory rate of 6 breaths/minute. After successfully treating the client, which action by the nurse takes priority? The nurse should

• A) ask the physician to discontinue the PCA pump and revert to prn opioids for pain.
• B) check the IV pump to ensure the basal rate is set correctly.
• C) question the client about how he/she has been using the button on the pump.
• D) request the physician order different basal and bolus rates.

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Definitions:

Hepatic Portal Circulation

The system of blood vessels that carry blood from the gastrointestinal tract and spleen to the liver, facilitating nutrient processing.

Digestive

Pertains to the system in the body responsible for breaking down food into nutrients and waste.

Tunica Intima

The innermost layer of a blood vessel, composed of endothelial cells that line the interior surface of the vessel.

Endothelium

A thin layer of cells lining the interior surface of blood vessels and lymphatic vessels.