1. Rita Schmidt, 74 years of age, is a female patientwho was admitted to the surgical unit after undergoing removal of asection of the colon for colorectal cancer. The patient does nothave a colostomy. The patient has several small abdominal incisionsand a clear dressing over each site. The incisions are wellapproximated and the staples are dry and intact. There is aJackson-Pratt drain intact with minimal serous sanguineous drainagepresent. The patient has a Salem sump tube connected to lowcontinuous wall suction that is draining a small amount of brownliquid. The patient has no bowel sounds. The Foley catheter has asmall amount of dark amber-colored urine without sediments. Thepatient has sequential compression device (SCD) in place. The nurseperforms an assessment and notes that the patient’s breath soundsare decreased bilaterally in the bases and the patient hasinspiratory crackles. The patient’s cardiac assessment is withinnormal limits. The patient is receiving O2 at 2 L per nasal cannulawith a pulse oximetry reading of 95%. The vital signs include:blood pressure, 100/50 mm Hg; heart rate 110 bpm; respiratory rate16 breaths/min; and the patient is afebrile. The patient isconfused as to place and time. (Learning Objectives 4 and 7)

Explain the assessment parameters used to provideclues to detect postoperative problems early and the interventionsneeded.

What gerontological postoperative considerationsshould the nurse make?