Author Question: You are on the scene of a patient who is the victim of an assault. The scene is safe. You find a ... (Read 88 times)

geoffrey · **on:** Jul 3, 2018

You are on the scene of a patient who is the victim of an assault. The scene is safe. You find a 22-year-old male patient responsive to painful stimuli only. His blood pressure is 180/80, pulse is 60, respirations are 12, and his oxygen saturation is 95 on room air. How would you classify this patient?

A) Unstable. The patient is hypertensive.
B) Unstable. The patient is responsive to painful stimuli only.
C) Stable. The patient does not have hypotension.
D) Stable. The patient's pulse, respirations, and oxygen saturation are within normal limits.

Question 2

Your patient is a 55-year-old man with a history of chronic bronchitis. You have been called to his home today because of an increase in his level of respiratory distress. The patient is on 2 liters per minute of oxygen by nasal cannula at home. Your assessment reveals difficulty speaking due to shortness of breath, leaning forward to breathe, a productive cough, and a respiratory rate of 32 per minute. Which of the following is true concerning the best course of action for this patient?

A) You should increase the patient's oxygen flow rate to deliver adequate amounts of oxygen to his tissues. If his respiratory rate decreases, you can assist him with a bag-valve-mask device.
B) Because increased blood levels of carbon dioxide are the primary stimulus to breathe, you should encourage the patient to rebreathe his exhaled air from a paper bag.
C) You should not increase the patient's oxygen flow rate because of his likely dependence on a hypoxic drive to stimulate breathing.
D) You should increase the patient's oxygen flow rate until his respiratory rate decreases and then resume oxygen administration at 2 liters per minute.