The nurse is doing a preoperative assessment of an 87 -year-old man who is slated to have a right lung lobe resection to treat lung cancer. What underlying principle should guide the nurses preoperative assessment of an elderly patient?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The underlying principle that guides the preoperative assessment, surgical care, and postoperative care is that elderly patients have less physiologic reserve (the ability of an organ to return to normal after a disturbance in its equilibrium) than do younger patients. Elderly patients do not have larger lung capacities than younger patients. Elderly patients cannot necessarily cope better than younger patients and they often require lower doses of medications.

The Nurse Is Doing a Preoperative Assessment of an 87