A patient with Graves' disease is prepared for surgery with drug therapy consisting of 4 weeks of propylthiouracil (PTU) and 10 days of iodine before surgery. When teaching the patient about the drugs, the nurse explains that the drugs are given preoperatively to

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Antithyroid drugs and iodine decrease the levels of thyroid hormone and the vascularity of the thyroid gland prior to surgery and lower the risk for postoperative thyrotoxicosis and hemorrhage. Postoperative tetany might be caused by removal of the parathyroid gland during thyroidectomy. The medications will tend to decrease metabolic rate. The medications will not help in differentiating the tissues of the thyroid and parathyroid glands.

A Patient with Graves' Disease Is Prepared for Surgery with Drug