Chapter 11, Problem 1CTPQ

Summary Introduction

To describe:

The nurse is assessing a patient who had hip replacement surgery 2 hours earlier and has just arrived at the orthopedic unit from the PACU. The certified nursing assistant reports that the patient’s temperature is 104.8º F (40.4ºC). The nurse notes that the PACU nurse reported that the patient’s temperature was 98.9º F (37.2º C). Another nurse comments that the patient must be developing an infection from the hip replacement. Describe the nurse’s priority action at this time.

Concept introduction:

Anesthesia is a general term used in the medical field, it refers to the state of temporary loss of awareness or sensation by the induced method. The patient develops after hip replacement surgery due to infection during transfer of the patient from the PACU from the orthopedic unit. This clinical condition is known as malignant hyperthermia.