Question

The nurse is monitoring a postpartum client who is at risk of developing postpartum endometritis. Which finding, if noted during the first 24 hours after delivery, would support a diagnosis of postpartum endometritis?

1. Abdominal tenderness and chills
2. Increased perspiration and appetite
3. Maternal oral temperature of 100.2° F
4. Uterus two fingerbreadths below midline and firm

Answer 1

Abdominal tenderness and chills option (1) noted during the first 24 hours after delivery would support a diagnosis of postpartum endometritis, a uterine infection marked by fever and pain. An oral temperature of 100.2° F on its own may not be indicative of an infection as this can be normal in the immediate postpartum period.

Step-by-step explanation:

If a postpartum client is at risk of developing postpartum endometritis, the finding that would support a diagnosis of this condition within the first 24 hours after delivery is abdominal tenderness and chills option (1). This indicates the presence of an infection within the uterus, which is characterized by symptoms such as fever, pain, and potentially foul-smelling lochia. A maternal oral temperature elevated above normal is also a common sign of infection. However, an oral temperature of 100.2° F is common in the first 24 hours postpartum and, in isolation, might not indicate an infection. Option 2, increased perspiration and appetite, are not specific to endometritis and other options such as the position and firmness of the uterus (Option 4) are typically normal postpartum findings and not indicative of endometritis.