You are a staff nurse on an orthopedic unit and are assigned to care for a 30-year-old man who had an ORIF for an unstable pelvic fracture. His surgical course was unremarkable, and it is now his second postoperative day. On your initial rounds, he appeared stable, had normal vital signs, and had no particular complaints. An hour later, his wife frantically calls you to his room, saying, "He is suddenly acting confused and is breathing heavy!"
Before you reach the patient's room, what complication or complications may explain these sudden clinical manifestations? Describe your focused priority assessments and interventions.