Adult health / medical-surgical nursing · practice question

A client is 12 hours postoperative after abdominal surgery and reports sudden shortness of breath and chest pain. What should the nurse do first?

Multiple choiceHardnclex-rn-bsnnclex-validatednclex-2026adult-health-med-surg

Administer the PRN antacid before assessing respirations.Encourage deep breathing and coughing later when pain improves.Document as expected postoperative pain without further assessment.Assess airway, breathing, circulation, and oxygenation; apply oxygen and notify the provider immediately.

Answer and explanation

Correct answer

D. Assess airway, breathing, circulation, and oxygenation; apply oxygen and notify the provider immediately.

Why

Sudden dyspnea and chest pain after surgery raise concern for pulmonary embolism or cardiac event; immediate ABC assessment and escalation are required.

Test yourself on Adult health / medical-surgical nursing

A free test with instant, explained results. No account needed.

Start free test

All Adult health / medical-surgical nursing questions →

A client is 12 hours postoperative after abdominal surgery and reports sudden shortness of breath and chest pain. What should the nurse do first?

Correct answer

Why

More Adult health / medical-surgical nursing questions