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Question

Difficulty: MediumReduction of Risk Potential

Following a diagnostic lumbar puncture to analyze cerebrospinal fluid, a client arrives on the medical-surgical unit. To effectively mitigate the risk of a post-dural puncture complication, which intervention is most appropriate for the nurse to implement?

  1. Maintain the client in a flat, supine posture for four to eight hours.Answer
  2. B
    Position the client on one side with the knees drawn tightly toward the abdomen.
  3. C
    Assist the client into a semi-upright position to promote optimal lung expansion.
  4. D
    Delegate the initial evaluation of the puncture site to unlicensed assistive personnel.

Answer

The intervention to maintain the client in a flat, supine posture for four to eight hours.
After a lumbar puncture, a significant risk is the development of a post-dural puncture headache caused by the continuous leakage of cerebrospinal fluid from the dural tear. Maintaining the client in a flat, supine position for four to eight hours helps equalize pressure within the central nervous system, minimizes fluid leakage, and significantly reduces the incidence of this debilitating complication.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the primary risk associated with the recently completed procedure.
The client has undergone a lumbar puncture, which carries a high risk for a post-dural puncture headache (spinal headache) caused by the leakage of cerebrospinal fluid.
Understanding the physiological consequences of the procedure dictates the necessary post-operative care.
2
Determine the appropriate nursing intervention to mitigate this specific risk.
Maintaining a flat position minimizes hydrostatic pressure at the puncture site, effectively reducing cerebrospinal fluid leakage.
Evidence-based practice requires keeping the client flat to equalize intracranial and intraspinal pressure.
3
Evaluate the distractors for contraindicated actions or scope of practice violations.
Semi-upright positioning worsens the fluid leak, fetal positioning is only for the intra-procedure phase, and initial assessments cannot be delegated.
Systematically eliminating options based on positioning principles and delegation rules confirms the correct choice.

Key Concept

Post-Lumbar Puncture Risk Reduction
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Topics

Reduction of Risk Potential

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