📢 Enrollment for LET Review is ongoing! Our seats are filling fast!
Reserve a slot now!
Arterial vs Venous Bleeding | NLE Reviewer: PACU Nurse Must Know!
bySLRC CALABARZON-
0
Arterial vs Venous Bleeding | NLE Reviewer: PACU Nurse Must Know!
Arterial vs Venous Bleeding | NLE Reviewer: PACU Nurse Must Know 🩸
Category: Nursing Practice | Tags: PACU Nurse, Arterial Bleeding, Postoperative Care, NLE Reviewer, Med-Surg Nursing, SLRC Review
Overview: In the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU), recognizing the type of bleeding after surgery is a critical nursing skill. This question trains your assessment skills and clinical judgment — essential for both board exams and real-life nursing care.
When a patient has bleeding after surgery, the PACU nurse expects which color if coming from the arterial source?
Darkly colored, blood flows fast.
Bright red and spurts with the heartbeat.
Slow, dark colored, generally ooze.
Pinkish colored slowly flowing.
Answer: ✅ Bright red and spurts with the heartbeat
Rationale:
Arterial bleeding is identified by bright red blood that spurts rhythmically with the patient’s heartbeat. Arteries carry oxygen-rich blood under high pressure from the heart, resulting in a pulsating flow. This type of bleeding is more severe and requires immediate intervention to prevent hypovolemic shock.
Why the other options are incorrect:
• Darkly colored, blood flows fast — Venous bleeding; flows steadily but not in spurts.
• Slow, dark colored, generally ooze — Capillary bleeding; slow, oozing, minimal pressure.
• Pinkish colored slowly flowing — Serosanguineous fluid; diluted blood, not arterial.
References:
Brunner & Suddarth’s Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing (15th ed.)
Potter & Perry’s Fundamentals of Nursing (10th ed.)
💡 Key Point: Arterial bleeding = Bright red + Spurting with each heartbeat.
🧠 Mnemonic: “A for Artery = Airy Bright and Active spurting.”
“Recognizing the type of bleeding helps nurses act fast to save lives — bright red means arterial!”
🔥 Study Tip: In your nursing board exam, remember — Arterial = Bright Red, Venous = Dark Red, Capillary = Oozing. Quick identification saves time and lives in real clinical settings!
