What key nursing considerations are required after cleft palate repair?

• A. Protect the palate suture line, avoid oral suction and straws, provide a soft diet, monitor swallowing, and support speech development
• B. Provide aggressive oral exercises to promote speech immediately
• C. Allow unrestricted intake of hard foods after surgery
• D. Ignore changes in swallowing during the first 24 hours

Answer: (A)

After palatal repair, the main goal is to protect the repaired palate so the sutures can hold and healing can proceed without disruption. Avoiding oral suction and straws prevents negative pressure from pulling on the repair, which could lead to dehiscence. A soft diet reduces mechanical stress on the healing tissue and lowers the risk of trauma or aspiration as swallowing function returns. Monitoring swallowing is essential to catch any difficulties early and to ensure adequate nutrition and airway protection. Speech development is important, but it should be supported calmly as healing allows; pushing for aggressive oral exercises right away can strain the sutures and jeopardize repair. Hard foods and other pressure on the palate should be avoided, and swallowing changes in the early postoperative period should be observed and addressed rather than ignored.