Psychosocial Integrity NCLEX PN Questions Related

Review Psychosocial Integrity NCLEX PN Questions related questions and content

What is the nurse's priority action when a client receiving a unit of packed red blood cells experiences tingling in the fingers and headache?

  • A. Call the health care provider (HCP).
  • B. Stop the transfusion.
  • C. Slow the infusion rate.
  • D. Assess the intravenous (IV) site for infiltration.
Correct Answer: B

Rationale: When a client receiving a packed red blood cell transfusion experiences tingling in the fingers and headache, these symptoms may indicate an adverse reaction to the transfusion. The nurse's priority action is to immediately stop the transfusion and initiate a normal saline infusion at a keep vein open (KVO) rate. This helps maintain the client's vein patency while addressing the adverse reactions. After stopping the transfusion and initiating the saline infusion, the nurse should assess the client, including vital signs evaluation. Subsequently, the healthcare provider should be notified. Calling the healthcare provider is important, but it should be done after the immediate action of stopping the transfusion. Slowing the infusion rate is not appropriate during a suspected transfusion reaction as it can exacerbate the adverse effects. Assessing the IV site for infiltration is a routine nursing intervention and is not the priority when managing a potential adverse reaction to a blood transfusion.