Question

A nurse is caring for a client who is postoperative following abdominal surgery. Which of the following interventions should the nurse perform to prevent respiratory complications?

a) Encourage deep breathing and coughing exercises.
b) Administer opioid analgesics regularly to prevent pain.
c) Restrict fluid intake to minimize the need for bathroom visits.
d) Maintain the client in a supine position to promote rest.

Answer 1

To prevent respiratory complications postoperatively, the nurse should encourage deep breathing and coughing exercises to facilitate lung expansion and secretion clearance.

Step-by-step explanation:

The nurse's role in preventing respiratory complications following abdominal surgery is crucial. The correct intervention to prevent respiratory complications would be encouraging deep breathing and coughing exercises (Option a). These exercises help to clear the lungs and prevent the stasis of secretions, which can lead to pneumonia. Additionally, they encourage the full expansion of the lungs, which is vital for adequate gas exchange and maintenance of lung function. This is especially important because the muscles used for breathing can be affected by general anesthesia, making the recovery of respiratory function a priority postoperatively.

Regularly administering opioid analgesics (Option b) can indeed help with pain management but can also depress respiration, so they should be used wisely. Restricting fluid intake (Option c) can lead to dehydration and thickening of respiratory secretions, making them difficult to clear. Finally, maintaining the client in a supine position (Option d) is not ideal for lung expansion; instead, encouraging the patient to change positions and, when appropriate, to sit up can promote better lung expansion and prevent respiratory complications.