The nurse has just reassessed the condition of a postoperative client who was admitted 1 hour ago to the surgical unit. The nurse plans to monitor which parameter most carefully during the next hour? A. Urine output of 20ml/hour B. Temperature of 37.6 C C. Blood pressure of 114/70 D. Serous drainage on the surgical dressing - A. Urine output of 20ml/hour Rationale: Urine output should be maintained at a minimum of 30mL/hour for an adult. An output of less than that for each of 2 consecutive hours should be reported to the health care provider. A postoperative client asks the nurse why it is so important to deep-breathe and cough after surgery. When formulating a response, the nurse incorporates the understanding that retained pulmonary secretions in a postoperative client can lead to which condition? A. Pneumonia B. Hypoxemia C. Fluid imbalance D. Pulmonary embolism - A. Pneumonia Rationale: Postoperative respiratory problems are atelectasis, pneumonia and pulmonary emboli. Pneumonia is the inflammation of lung tissue that causes productive cough, dyspnea, and lung crackles and can be caused by the retention of pulmonary secretions. The nurse is developing a plan of care for a client scheduled for surgery. The nur