Immediately After a Patient's Death, a Nurse Performs Postmortem Care

question 19

Multiple Choice

Immediately after a patient's death, a nurse performs postmortem care. Correct care would include

• A) Insisting that the family bathe the patient so they can begin the grieving process.
• B) Documenting the time when the patient stopped breathing and the heart ceased.
• C) Notifying the physician so that the patient will be legally pronounced dead.
• D) Bathing the body and removing all tubes, unless an autopsy might be ordered.

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Definitions:

The Citric Acid Cycle

A series of chemical reactions used by all aerobic organisms to release stored energy through the oxidation of acetyl-CoA derived from carbohydrates, fats, and proteins into carbon dioxide and chemical energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP).

Fatty Acids

Organic compounds that are the building blocks of fats in the human body and are used for energy storage and cell structure.

Acetyl-CoA

An important metabolic intermediate that links glycolysis and the citric acid cycle, involved in energy production and synthesis of fatty acids.

Aerobic Respiration

A metabolic process involving oxygen in the breakdown of glucose or other nutrients to produce energy (ATP), carbon dioxide, and water, taking place in the mitochondria of cells.