Brief rises in heart rate and blood pressure from pain or stress can occur after surgery, but a persistent major change from baseline needs evaluation.
Correct Answer
True
True. Short spikes from pain, fear or stress are common, but vital signs that stay far from the patient's baseline may signal bleeding, infection or another complication and must be evaluated.
Category: Recognizing Complications
Question 2
Before going home after surgery, a patient who needs a walker or a raised toilet seat may be referred to a social worker or case manager to obtain the equipment.
Correct Answer
True
True. Social workers and case managers help arrange durable medical equipment such as walkers and raised toilet seats so the patient can move about safely at home.
Category: PACU Transfer
Question 3
Medication errors and complications often occur during transitions of care, such as transfer from the PACU to a nursing unit.
Correct Answer
True
True. Handoffs between units are points where information can be lost, so structured reports, accurate documentation and teamwork are used to keep care uninterrupted.
Category: PACU Transfer
Question 4
Unrelieved pain can limit mobility and so slow the return of strength and function after surgery.
Correct Answer
True
True. A patient in pain moves less and avoids the activity and rehabilitation that restore strength, which also raises the risk of clots and lung complications.
Category: Postoperative Pain
Question 5
Prompt removal of drains and urinary catheters once they are no longer needed helps lower the risk of infection.
Correct Answer
True
True. Every tube that crosses the skin or enters the bladder gives bacteria a path into the body, so removing it as soon as it is not needed reduces infection risk.
Category: Preventing Complications
Question 6
The nurse accepts the patient's report of pain rather than judging the pain to be different from what the patient describes.
Correct Answer
True
True. Pain is a subjective experience, so the patient's own report guides assessment and treatment, and the nurse builds trust instead of second-guessing it.
Category: Postoperative Pain
Question 7
Before a patient is transferred or discharged after surgery, the nurse confirms and reports the patient's voiding status.
Correct Answer
True
True. Anesthesia, opioids and surgery near the pelvis can cause urinary retention, so the nurse confirms whether the patient has voided and passes that information to the receiving nurse or into discharge planning.
Category: PACU Transfer
Question 8
Fluid management after surgery aims to avoid both a fluid deficit and fluid overload.
Correct Answer
True
True. Too little fluid causes hypotension and poor perfusion, while too much can cause edema and lung congestion, so fluids are individualized to the surgery and the patient's coexisting conditions.
Category: Preventing Complications
Question 9
Family members can support recovery by reinforcing instructions and reporting changes they notice in the patient.
Correct Answer
True
True. Family members help with medication schedules and exercises at home and can advocate for the patient by speaking up about new concerns, so the nurse includes them in teaching.
Category: PACU Transfer
Question 10
Persistent vomiting after surgery raises the risk of dehydration and electrolyte imbalance.
Correct Answer
True
True. Repeated vomiting drains fluid and electrolytes such as potassium, sodium and chloride, so the nurse gives antiemetics and IV fluids as ordered and watches laboratory results.
Category: Recognizing Complications
Question 11
Catheterization is the first measure tried when a patient cannot void after surgery.
Correct Answer
False
False. Noninvasive measures come first, such as privacy, an unhurried setting, positioning, hydration and a bladder scan; catheterization is a last resort because it raises the risk of urinary tract infection.
Category: Preventing Complications
Question 12
After abdominal surgery, patients usually start with a regular diet and then move back to clear liquids.
Correct Answer
False
False. Diet usually progresses the other way, starting with clear liquids and advancing to regular food as the patient tolerates it.
Category: Preventing Complications
Question 13
Sudden chest pain and shortness of breath after surgery can safely wait until the next routine assessment.
Correct Answer
False
False. Sudden chest pain and shortness of breath can signal a pulmonary embolism, a clot that has traveled to the lungs, so the nurse acts at once and activates the rapid response team rather than waiting.
Category: Recognizing Complications
Question 14
Atelectasis typically produces louder breath sounds over the affected area of the lung.
Correct Answer
False
False. Collapsed alveoli move little air, so breath sounds over the area are diminished, often with low oxygen saturation, dyspnea and tachypnea.
Category: Recognizing Complications
Question 15
The PACU nurse waits until the patient reaches the surgical unit before reporting unexpected findings to the anesthesia provider.
Correct Answer
False
False. The PACU nurse acts as a bridge between surgery and recovery and reports unexpected findings to the anesthesia provider and surgeon as soon as they appear.
Category: PACU Transfer
Question 16
In the PACU, vital signs are checked once on arrival and then not again until transfer.
Correct Answer
False
False. Vital signs are checked frequently in the PACU, very often at first and then at regular intervals once the patient is stable, because anesthesia complications can develop quickly.
Category: PACU Transfer
Question 17
Patients in the PACU routinely progress from the main recovery phase to the extended care phase before going home.
Correct Answer
False
False. The PACU phases are categories based on how much care a patient needs; a higher-acuity patient goes to the main phase and a lower-acuity same-day patient to the extended care phase, rather than moving from one to the other.
Category: PACU Transfer
Question 18
Postoperative pain should be managed with nonpharmacologic methods alone, with medications added only if those fail.
Correct Answer
False
False. Medications are the primary approach to acute postoperative pain, and nonpharmacologic methods such as positioning, cold therapy and relaxation are added alongside them.
Category: Postoperative Pain
Question 19
Sequential compression devices prevent clots by warming the legs so that existing clots dissolve.
Correct Answer
False
False. Sequential compression devices inflate and deflate around the legs to squeeze blood out of the deep veins, preventing the pooling that leads to clots; they do not dissolve clots.
Category: Preventing Complications
Question 20
Incisional pain has no effect on how deeply a patient breathes after surgery.
Correct Answer
False
False. Pain, especially from chest or abdominal incisions, makes patients take shallow breaths and avoid coughing, which raises the risk of atelectasis and pneumonia; pain control must be balanced so it does not suppress breathing.
Category: Postoperative Pain