CPAN Practice Exam – Comprehensive Guide for Exam Prep

Maintaining normothermia in the Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) is crucial for several health-related reasons. One significant reason is to prevent impaired wound healing and infection. When a patient undergoes surgery, their body needs to maintain an optimal temperature to support physiological processes, including immune function and healing mechanisms.

Hypothermia can lead to a variety of complications, including increased risk of surgical site infections. The body's immune response is compromised at lower temperatures, which can delay wound healing and increase susceptibility to infection. Furthermore, a normothermic environment supports enzymatic activity and oxygen delivery to tissues, both of which are essential for healing.

The other options, while they might have relevance in different contexts, do not capture the primary importance of normothermia in the PACU as effectively as the prevention of impaired wound healing and infection. Comforting the patient, ensuring better ventilation, and promoting rapid recovery from anesthesia are important considerations but secondary to the critical need for optimal physiological conditions to foster healing and reduce infection risks.