The nurse is caring for a patient on the medicalsurgical unit postoperative day 5. During each patient assessment, the nurse evaluates the patient for infection. Which of the following would be most indicative of infection?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Redness, warmth, and tenderness in the incision area should lead the nurse to suspect a postoperative infection. The presence of any invasive device predisposes a patient to infection, but by itself does not indicate infection. An oral temperature of $99.5 \mathrm{~F}$ may not signal infection in a postoperative patient because of the inflammatory process. A normal WBC count ranges from 4,000 to $10,000 / \mathrm{mL}$.

The Nurse Is Caring for a Patient on the Medicalsurgical 99.5 F(37.5C)99.5 \mathrm{~F}(37.5 \mathrm{C})99.5 F(37.5C)

The Nurse Is Caring for a Patient on the Medicalsurgical $99.5 \mathrm{~F}(37.5 \mathrm{C})$