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Four hours after mechanical ventilation is initiated for a patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the patient's arterial blood gas (ABG) results include a pH of 7.50, PaO2 of 80 mm Hg, PaCO2 of 29 mm Hg, and HCO3 of 23 mmol/L. The nurse will anticipate the need to do which of the following actions based upon these findings?
- A. Increase the FIO2.
- B. Decrease the respiratory rate.
- C. Increase the tidal volume (VT).
- D. Leave the ventilator at the current settings.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The patient's PaCO2 and pH indicate respiratory alkalosis caused by too high a respiratory rate. The PaO2 is appropriate for a patient with COPD, increasing the tidal volume would further lower the PaCO2, and the PaCO2 and pH indicate a need to make the ventilator changes.
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The charge nurse is mentoring a new RN staff member providing care to a patient receiving mechanical ventilation. Which of the following actions by the new RN indicates the need for more education?
- A. The RN increases the FIO2 up to 100%.
- B. The RN secures a bite block in place using adhesive tape.
- C. The RN positions the patient with the head of bed at 10 degrees.
- D. The RN asks for assistance to turn the patient to the prone position.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The head of the patient's bed should be positioned at 30-45 degrees to prevent ventilator-acquired pneumonia. The other actions by the new RN are appropriate.
The nurse is caring for a patient who has acute pancreatitis and the mixed venous oxygen saturation (SvO2) is decreasing. Which of the following parameters should the nurse assess to determine the possible cause of the decreased SvO2?
- A. Weight
- B. Amylase
- C. Temperature
- D. Urinary output
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Elevated temperature increases metabolic demands and oxygen use by tissues, resulting in a drop in oxygen saturation of mixed venous blood. Information about the patient's weight, urinary output, and amylase will not help in determining the cause of the patient's drop in SvO2.
The nurse is caring for a patient who has an arterial catheter in the radial artery to monitor blood pressure. Which of the following information obtained by the nurse is most important to report to the health care provider?
- A. The patient has a positive Allen test.
- B. The mean arterial pressure (MAP) is 86 mm Hg.
- C. There is redness at the catheter insertion site.
- D. The dicrotic notch is visible in the waveform.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Redness at the catheter insertion site indicates possible infection. The Allen test is performed before arterial line insertion, and a positive test indicates normal ulnar artery perfusion. An MAP of 86 is normal and the dicrotic notch is normally present on the arterial waveform.
A patient has a nursing diagnosis of disturbed sleep pattern related to difficulty maintaining sleep state. Which of the following actions should the nurse include in the plan of care?
- A. Discontinue assessments during the night to allow uninterrupted sleep.
- B. Administer prescribed sedatives or opioids at bedtime to promote sleep.
- C. Silence monitor alarms to allow 30- to 40-minute rest periods.
- D. Cluster nursing activities so that the patient has uninterrupted rest periods.
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Clustering nursing activities and providing uninterrupted rest periods will minimize sleep-cycle disruption. Sedative and opioid medications tend to decrease the amount of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and can contribute to sleep disturbance and disturbed sensory perception. Silencing the alarms on the cardiac monitors would be unsafe in a critically ill patient, as would discontinuing assessments during the night.
The intensive care unit nurse educator is teaching a new staff nurse about hemodynamic monitoring. Which of the following actions indicates that the teaching has been effective?
- A. Positions the zero-reference stopcock line level with the phlebostatic axis.
- B. Balances and calibrates the hemodynamic monitoring equipment every hour.
- C. Rechecks the location of the phlebostatic axis when changing the patient's position.
- D. Ensures that the patient is lying supine with the head of the bed flat for all readings.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: For accurate measurement of pressures, the zero-reference level should be at the phlebostatic axis. There is no need to rebalance and recalibrate monitoring equipment hourly. Accurate hemodynamic readings are possible with the patient's head raised to 45 degrees or in the prone position. The anatomic position of the phlebostatic axis does not change when patients are repositioned.