A nurse is providing discharge instructions to a client who had a unilateral adrenalectomy. Which statement should be included?

• A. The reason for maintaining a diabetic diet
• B. Instructions about early signs of a wound infection
• C. Teaching regarding proper application of an ostomy pouch
• D. The need for lifelong replacement of all adrenal hormones

Answer: (B)

Postoperative discharge teaching should emphasize recognizing and reporting wound problems early, because an infection can develop quickly after surgery and requires prompt treatment to prevent broader complications. Instructing the client on early wound-infection signs—redness, warmth, swelling around the incision, increasing pain, drainage (especially purulent), fever, or poor wound healing—helps ensure timely medical attention.

Other options aren’t as directly relevant here. A diabetic-diet instruction isn’t specific to unilateral adrenal removal, and there’s no ostomy created with this procedure, so ostomy care isn’t applicable. Lifelong replacement of all adrenal hormones isn’t needed after removing one adrenal gland, since the remaining adrenal gland typically continues to produce sufficient hormones; lifelong replacement would be necessary only if both glands were removed or if there’s chronic adrenal insufficiency, which would be addressed differently.