Critical Care Nursing Exam Questions Related

Review Critical Care Nursing Exam Questions related questions and content

The intensive care unit (ICU) nurse educator will determine that teaching arterial pressure monitoring to staff nurses has been effective when the nurse:

  • A. Balances and calibrates the monitoring equipment every 2 hours.
  • B. Positions the zero-reference stopcock line level with the hemostatic axis.
  • C. Ensures that the patient is supine with the head of the bed flat for all readings.
  • D. Rechecks the location of the hemostatic axis when changing the patient’s position.
Correct Answer: B

Rationale: The correct answer is B because positioning the zero-reference stopcock line level with the hemostatic axis ensures accurate arterial pressure monitoring. Placing the stopcock at the hemostatic axis allows for correct measurement of blood pressure without any errors due to height differences. This positioning helps in obtaining precise and reliable readings.

A: Balancing and calibrating the monitoring equipment every 2 hours is important for equipment maintenance but does not directly impact the accuracy of arterial pressure monitoring.
C: Ensuring the patient is supine with the head of the bed flat is a standard position for arterial pressure monitoring but does not specifically address the correct positioning of the stopcock.
D: Rechecking the location of the hemostatic axis when changing the patient's position is essential for maintaining accuracy, but it does not directly relate to the initial correct positioning of the stopcock.