Brunner & Suddarth's Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing 14e (Hinkle 2017) - Preoperative Nursing Management Related

Review Brunner & Suddarth's Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing 14e (Hinkle 2017) - Preoperative Nursing Management related questions and content

The nurse is caring for a hospice patient who is scheduled for a surgical procedure to reduce the size of his spinal tumor in an effort to relieve his pain. The nurse should plan this patient care with the knowledge that his surgical procedure is classified as which of the following?

  • A. Diagnostic
  • B. Laparoscopic
  • C. Curative
  • D. Palliative
Correct Answer: D

Rationale: A patient on hospice will undergo a surgical procedure only for palliative care to reduce pain, but it is not curative. The reduction of tumor size to relieve pain is considered a palliative procedure. A laparoscopic procedure is a type of surgery that is utilized for diagnostic purposes or for repair. The excision of a tumor is classified as curative. This patient is not having the tumor removed, only the size reduced.