DQ 4/2

Assessment Description

You are part of a surgical team and your role is postoperative management of thoracic surgery. In your role, you are required to determine the course of action for the patient before you call surgeon. A right lower-lobe resection occurred due to adenocarcinoma. The nurse has called at the 12-hour interval from surgery concerned with the amount of drainage within the chest tube.

• Describe the role of an AGACNP at each of the steps in postoperative care for a surgical patient.
• Describe the assessment steps you would take.
• Explain the drainage and decompression devices and how you manage these as an AGACNP.
• Discuss potential differential diagnoses you could expect from the assessment.
• Discuss the hemodynamic findings one might see with your provided diagnosis.
• Propose potential treatment plans that would be appropriate.

Support your summary and recommendations plan with a minimum of two APRN approved scholarly resources.