Critical Care Nursing Questions and Answers PDF Related

Review Critical Care Nursing Questions and Answers PDF related questions and content

After a change-of-shift report on a ventilator weaning unit, which patient should the nurse assess first?

  • A. Patient who failed a spontaneous breathing trial and has been placed in rest mode on the ventilator.
  • B. Patient who is intubated and has continuous partial pressure end-tidal CO2 (PETCO2) monitoring.
  • C. Patient with central venous oxygen saturation (ScvO2) of 69% while on bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP).
  • D. Patient who was successfully weaned and extubated 4 hours ago and now has no urine output for the last 6 hours.
Correct Answer: D

Rationale: The correct answer is D - Patient who was successfully weaned and extubated 4 hours ago and now has no urine output for the last 6 hours. This patient should be assessed first because the absence of urine output for 6 hours after being extubated could indicate acute kidney injury or other serious complications that need immediate attention. Urine output is a crucial indicator of renal function and can reflect the patient's overall hemodynamic status. In contrast, the other choices do not present immediate life-threatening conditions. Choice A involves a patient in rest mode post-failed breathing trial, which does not require immediate assessment. Choice B mentions continuous PETCO2 monitoring, which is important but not as urgent as assessing a patient with no urine output. Choice C describes a patient with a ScvO2 of 69%, which may need monitoring but does not indicate an urgent priority compared to assessing a patient with no urine output after recent extubation.