Editing Reduction of Risk Potential – LPN Practice Questions (section)

==Question 1==
A licensed practical nurse takes vital signs on a client who is one day postoperative from abdominal surgery. Which finding should be reported to the registered nurse immediately?
# Oral temperature 37.6 degrees Celsius (99.7 degrees Fahrenheit)
# Blood pressure 86/48 mm Hg with a heart rate of 122 beats per minute
# Respiratory rate 18 breaths per minute
# Oxygen saturation 96 percent on room air

'''Answer:''' Option 2. Blood pressure 86/48 mm Hg with a heart rate of 122 beats per minute.

''Rationale:'' Hypotension with tachycardia in a postoperative client suggests hemorrhage or hypovolemia and must be reported at once. Option 1 is a mildly elevated temperature that is common in the first postoperative day and is usually related to atelectasis; it should be documented and reported routinely but is not the immediate priority. Options 3 and 4 are within expected ranges.