Jim Sanderson is a 65-year-old male who is admitted for acute lower abdominal pain which was the result of a ruptured
appendix. He had an open appendectomy and is now post-operative day three. He refuses to use the ince
...
Jim Sanderson is a 65-year-old male who is admitted for acute lower abdominal pain which was the result of a ruptured
appendix. He had an open appendectomy and is now post-operative day three. He refuses to use the incentive spirometer or
get up in the chair and requires encouragement to get out of bed and ambulate on the unit. His appetite is poor, and he eats
a small portion of his meals but tolerates and drinks fluids readily. He has had 2200 mL intake to 1800 mL urine output the
past 24 hours. He denies nausea and has not had a bowel movement since surgery despite receiving milk of magnesia and
senna tabs daily. His abdomen is obese, rounded, firm and tender to palpation with hypoactive bowel sounds. His incision
site in his RLQ has no drainage. Swelling and mild erythema noted along the edge of the incision.
Current Complaint:
Jim puts on his call light. When you arrive, he states he feels nauseated. He has an order for ondansetron 4 mg IV every 4
hours PRN for nausea, and this is administered. Thirty minutes later he puts his call light on again, stating that his nausea
has gotten worse. While in the room, he begins to wretch and has a small bile green emesis.
What PRIORITY data from the story and current complaint do you NOTICE as RELEVANT and why is it clinically
significant? (Reduction of Risk Potential/Health Promotion and Maintenance) (list 2 for each section)
RELEVANT Data-Present Problem: Clinical Significance:
Refuses to use incentive spirometer After abdominal surgery, the breathing
pattern can change and result in various pulmonary complications.
Incentive spirometry is beneficial for patients affected in this way as it
promotes deep breaths, which will aid their recovery.
His appetite is poor.
. abdomen is obese, rounded, firm and
tender to palpation
Good nutrition is necessary to keep the
immune system strong to fight off infection.
Abdominal tenderness is generally a sign of inflammation or other
acute processes in one or more organs
RELEVANT Data-Current Complaint: Clinical Significance:
nausea Check to see if Zofran is available for patient
wretch and has a small bile green emesis.
Possibility of bile reflux. According to Mayo clinic Bile reflux can also
be a side effect of surgeries to the gallbladder or gastrointestinal tract
or can be caused by peptic ulcers blocking the pyloric valve. Intestinal
activity has slowed down.
Nursing Assessment Begins:
Current VS: Most Recent VS: Current WILDA:
T: 99.2 F/37.3 C (oral) T: 99.4 F/37.4 C (oral) Words: ache/cramp
P: 92 (reg) P: 74 (reg) Intensity: 5/10
R: 24 (reg) R: 18 (reg) Location: generalized abdomen
BP: 168/88 BP: 142/80 Duration: ongoing-started last hour
O2 sat: 93% room air O2 sat: 98% room air Aggravate: movement
Alleviate: rest
Current Assessment:
GENERAL
APPEARANCE:
Patient’s body and facial expression appears tense, uncomfortable
RESP: Breath sounds clear with equal aeration bilaterally, diminished in the bases bilaterally,
nonlabored respiratory effort
CARDIAC: Skin color is pink, warm & dry, no edema, heart sounds strong, regular with no abnormal
beats, pulses 3+, equal with palpation at radial/pedal/post-tibial landmarks
NEURO: Alert & oriented to person, place, time, and situation (x4)
GI: Abdomen firm-tender to palpation, distended, with rare, high pitched tympanic bowel
sounds
GU: Voiding without difficulty, urine clear/yellow
SKIN: Skin integrity intact, abdomen incision edges intact with mild erythema along edges, staples
intact
What clinical data do you NOTICE that is RELEVANT and why is it clinically significant?
(Reduction of Risk Potential/Health Promotion and Maintenance)
RELEVANT VS Data: Clinical Significance: TREND:
Improve/Worsening/Stable:
Blood pressure is 168/88 High b/p showing pain need for manual blood pressure to
be taken to verify results.
worsened
RELEVANT Assessment
Data:
Clinical Significance:
Temp 99.2
Monitor temperature by continuous reassessment to check
to make sure the low-grade fever is caught before it becomes
a real fever even though it decreased from 99.4 continue to
monitor patient to see if decrease in temperature will
continue. This could be a possibility of sepsis.
n/a
1. What additional clinical data would you need to collect to identify the primary problem to guide your plan of care?
(Management of Care) (think along the lines of laboratory testing or imaging to consider)
Abdominal CT scan or blood work such as CBC for infection.
2. INTERPRETING relevant clinical data, what is the primary problem? What primary health related concept(s)
does this problem represent? (Management of Care/Physiologic Adaptation) (Utilize pathophysiology book when
considering disease processes)
Problem: Pathophysiology of Problem in OWN Words: Primary Concept(s):
Paralytic
ileus
This is basically when the muscles in the ileus lose its function of
contracting.
Obstruction of the
intestine due to paralysis
of the intestinal muscles.
The paralysis does not
need to be complete to
cause ileus, but the
intestinal muscles must be
so inactive that it prevents
the passage of food and
leads to a functional
blockage of the intestine.
3. What nursing priority(ies) will guide your plan of care that determines how you decide to RESPOND?
(Management of Care) (List 2)
Nursing Diagnosis: (based on primary
problem)
PRIORITY Nursing Interventions:
(patient symptom specific)
Rationale: Expected Outcome:
Access patient The essential requirement of accurate assessment is
to view patients holistically and thus identify their
real needs
Have accurate
information on pt.
vitals etc.
Call the doctor Call the doctor giving him all the information he
needs to make proper orders for patient
Nurse will fulfill
orders given by doctor
to help patient.
[Show More]