A critical care nurse has provided care for several patients over the preceding months who were admitted to the unit with septic shock. The nurse has become aware that the incidence of septic shock is increasing.
Which of the following actions has the greatest potential to reduce the incidence of septic shock?
A) Minimization of lengths of stay in hospitals and other institutional settings
B) Evidence-based use of prophylactic antibiotics in hospitals and other care settings
C) Vigilant application of infection control procedures
D) Minimization of patient-staff contact during hospital treatment
Question 2
The nurse is actively managing the intravenous fluid administration for a patient who has developed cardiogenic shock after a myocardial infarction.
When performing this aspect of nursing care, what principle should guide the nurse's decision making?
A) Adequate fluid resuscitation must be balanced against the risk of fluid overload.
B) Intravenous fluid should be infused as quickly as possible in emergency treatment.
C) In order to prevent increased afterload, the patient should not receive more than 125 mL of total intravenous fluid in 60 minutes.
D) Temporary fluid restriction reduces cardiac workload and improves cardiac output.