Final answer:
For a hungry, crying infant after pyloric stenosis surgery, offering a small, clear liquid feed is the most appropriate nursing action to ensure safe and gradual introduction of food to the small intestine.
Step-by-step explanation:
Following surgery for pyloric stenosis, the most appropriate nursing action for a hungry, crying infant would be to offer a small, clear liquid feed. This is important because after the surgery, it is crucial to ensure that chyme is delivered slowly and in controlled amounts to the small intestine to prevent complications such as low blood volume and to allow for proper mixing with bile and pancreatic juices.
Immediate administration of intravenous fluids, while important, is not specifically correlated with the hunger of the infant, and neither is elevation of the head of the bed or administering pain medication the primary action for a hungry infant. Therefore, offering a small, clear liquid feed is most in line with addressing the hunger and the physiological needs post-surgery.