A postoperative client has a PRN order for ondansetron (Zofran). For which condition is this medication prescribed?

A postoperative client has a PRN order for ondansetron (Zofran). For which condition is this medication prescribed?

• A. Urinary retention
• B. Paralytic ileus
• C. Nausea and vomiting
• D. Incisional pain

Answer: (C)

Ondansetron is a serotonin 5-HT3 receptor antagonist used to prevent and treat nausea and vomiting, especially after surgery when anesthesia and opioids commonly cause it. It works by blocking receptors in the gut and in the brain’s chemoreceptor trigger zone, reducing the vomiting signal. In this postoperative setting, a PRN order means use as needed for nausea or vomiting, not for pain, urinary issues, or bowel movement problems. It would not treat urinary retention, incisional pain, or directly fix a paralytic ileus (which is a motility issue of the bowel), though it may help with any resulting nausea. So the indication fits nausea and vomiting.

Ondansetron is a serotonin 5-HT3 receptor antagonist used to prevent and treat nausea and vomiting, especially after surgery when anesthesia and opioids commonly cause it. It works by blocking receptors in the gut and in the brain’s chemoreceptor trigger zone, reducing the vomiting signal. In this postoperative setting, a PRN order means use as needed for nausea or vomiting, not for pain, urinary issues, or bowel movement problems. It would not treat urinary retention, incisional pain, or directly fix a paralytic ileus (which is a motility issue of the bowel), though it may help with any resulting nausea. So the indication fits nausea and vomiting.