COMMON DEVIATIONS
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RISK FACTORS
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IDENTIFYING WOMEN AT RISK
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INTERVENTIONS
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Elevated Temperature
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- Dehydration
- Exertion of Labor
- Possible puerperal infection
- Breast engorgement
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- Dehydration – if urine is dark yellow or the woman is urinatingless
- Puerperal infection – loss of appetite, pale skin, chills,headache
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Feeling of extreme sadness or unreality
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- Stress
- Fluid and electrolyte imbalance
- Anxiety
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- Examine for history of previous depression, prenatal anxietyand depression, low self-esteem, poor marital relationship, andinadequate social supports
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Pallor
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- Anemia
- Excessive loss of blood
- Postpartum hemorrhage
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- Review adequacy of iron and folic acid intake duringpregnancy
- Postpartum hemorrhage – estimate blood loss, measure pulse rateand blood pressure as needed, examine hematocrit and clottingfactors in the blood
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Thready, rapid, weak pulse
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- Puerperal bradycardia
- Hypovolemia
- Decreased cardiac strain
- Decreased blood volume following placental separation
- Increased stroke volume
- Undue blood loss
- Infection
- Anxiety
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- Hypovolemia – assess for incidence of postpartumhemorrhage
- Decreased cardiac strain – assess during prenatal for heartproblems or anomalies
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Pain and swelling
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- Breast engorgement
- Plugged ducts
- Mastitis
- Infection
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- Assess for breast anomalies such as breast fissure and invertednipples
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Decreased blood pressure
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- Preeclampsia
- Excessive blood loss
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- Examine history of preeclampsia, chronic hypertension, obesity,age and multiple pregnancy
- Estimate blood loss, measure pulse rate and blood pressure asneeded
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Relaxed uterus
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- Prolonged time of contraction during labor
- Prolonged labor
- Labor lasting less than 3 hours
- Uterine inversion
- Extended use of oxytocin
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- Observe for time of contraction during labor and length oflabor
- Assess for uterine inversion
- Take note of the use of oxytocin during labor
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Uterine hemorrhage
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- Placental abruption
- Placenta previa.
- Overdistended uterus
- Multiple pregnancy.
- Gestational hypertension or preeclampsia.
- Prolonged labor
- Infection
- Obesity
- Blood clotting disorders
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- Assess for placental abruption, placenta previa, overdistendeduterus, multiple pregnancy, preeclampsia, length of labor,infection, obesity, and blood clotting disorders
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Abdominal pain
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- Uterus contracts to shrink back to its normal size
- Compresses blood vessels to avoid too much bleeding
- Certain pain medications that may also slow down the work ofthe digestive system
- Possible infections such as endometritis, bacterial vaginosis,UTI, appendicitis
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- Check for multiparity
- Rule out presence of possible infections such as endometritis,bacterial vaginosis, UTI, appendicitis
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Pain of symphysis pubis on walking
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- Broken or bruised tailbone
- Swelling or bleeding when the ligaments (between the two bonesat the front of the pelvis) are stretched and the bones come apartas in walking
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- Assess women who are primigravida, those who have multiplegestations, and those who had a prolonged active labor
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Perineal pain
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- Perineal tears
- Episiotomy
- Swelling of the perineum
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- Assess risk factors that contribute to perineal tears likeforceps delivery, high birth‐weight, nulliparity, episiotomy,induced labour and abnormal fetal presentation
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Lochia with foul odor
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- Infection
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- Determine patients with low socioeconomic status undergoingcesarean section, those who have had prolonged labor and rupture ofmembranes, UTI
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Pain and tenderness in calf of leg
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- Superficial venous thrombosis
- Extreme extension at the ankle joint
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- Assess previous history of VTE, increased maternal age,varicose veins, mode of delivery, and family history of VTE
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Positive Homan’s sign
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- Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)
- Intervertebral disc herniation
- Ruptured Baker’s cyst
- Neurogenic claudication
- Gastrocnemius spasm
- Cellulitis
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- DVT – Assess for pain, redness, swelling, or warmth in one leg,shortness of breath or trouble breathing
- Assess for family history of DVT
- Assess for diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterollevel
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