A patient with a chronic cough with blood-tinged sputum undergoes a bronchoscopy. Following the bronchoscopy, the nurse should

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Because a local anesthetic is used to suppress the gag/cough reflexes during bronchoscopy, the nurse should monitor for the return of these reflexes before allowing the patient to take oral fluids or food. Vital signs are monitored immediately after the procedure but should not need to be obtained every 15 minutes for 2 hours. The patient does not need to be on bed rest, and the head of the bed does not need to be in the high-Fowler's position.

A Patient with a Chronic Cough with Blood-Tinged Sputum Undergoes