Rita schmidt, 74 years age, is a female patient who was admitted to the surgical unit after undergoing removal of a section of the colon for colorectal cancer. the patient does not have a colostomy. the patient has several small abdominal incisions and a clear dressing over each site. the incisions are well approximated and the staples are dry and intact. there’s a jackson-pratt drain intact with minimal serious sanguineous drainage present. the patient has a salem sump tube connected to low continuous wall suction that is draining a small amount of brown liquid. the patient has no bowl sounds. the foley catheter has a small amount of dark amber colored urine with sediments. the patient has sequential compression device (scd) in place. the nurse performs an assessment and notes that the patient’s breath sounds are decreased bilaterally in the bases and the patient has indpiratory crackles. the patient cardiac assessment is within normal limits. the patient is receiving o2 at 2l per nasal cannula with a pulse oximetry reading of 95%. the vital signs include blood pressure 100/50 mmhg; heart rate 110 bpm; respiratory rate 16 breaths/min; and the patient is a febrile. the patient is confused as to place and time.
qn.1. explain the assessment parameters used to provide clues to detect postoperative problems early and the interventions needed.
qn 2. what gerontological postoperative considerations should the nurse make?