A Patient Scheduled for a Total Laryngectomy and Radical Neck

question 2

Multiple Choice

A patient scheduled for a total laryngectomy and radical neck dissection for cancer of the larynx asks the nurse how the surgery will affect his throat.What is the best response?

• A) "You will breathe through a permanent opening in your neck,and you will not be able to speak."
• B) "You will have a permanent opening into your neck,and you will need to have rehabilitation for some type of voice restoration."
• C) "You won't be able to speak as you used to,but a lot of artificial voice devices are available that will give you the ability to speak normally."
• D) "You will have a tube into your trachea through which you will breathe,but you will be able to speak when the stoma heals and the tube is removed."

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Definitions:

Divergent Thinking

A thought process or method used to generate creative ideas by exploring many possible solutions.

Fixedness

A cognitive bias that limits a person to using an object only in the way it is traditionally used.

Heuristics

Mental shortcuts or rules of thumb that simplify decision making and problem solving, although not always perfectly accurate.

Creativity

The ability to produce original and unusual ideas, or to make something new or imaginative.