A female in the third trimester of pregnancy is brought to the operating room for an emergency appendectomy. It will be necessary for the patient to receive general anesthesia in order to perform the procedure.
-Anatomically, what changes have taken place in the patient that must be taken under consideration for the surgical procedure?
-Why might the results of laboratory tests be abnormal when the patient actually has normal values?
- During the appendectomy, the surgical technologist should be ready to quickly set up and assist the surgeon with what additional emergency procedure?
-Postoperatively, what symptoms should be closely watched for in the patient that could indicate preterm labor?