A patient has returned after a lengthy abdominal surgery. The nurse enters the room to assess the patient and observes the patient forcefully coughing without using anything to protect her abdomen. The nurse would teach the patient to use an abdominal pillow over her abdomen when coughing to avoid the post operative complication of:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

After an abdominal surgery, the nurse would teach the patient to use an abdominal pillow over the incision while coughing to avoid the post operative complication of dehiscence. Wound dehiscence occurs when the wound edges separate and can lead to evisceration.

A Patient Has Returned After a Lengthy Abdominal Surgery