Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) has been ordered for a patient in the intensive care unit in an effort to defer intubation.
The respiratory therapist has set up the patient's CPAP system and the nurse is now responsible for maintaining the system. When assessing the function of the patient's CPAP, the nurse should ensure that:
A) Suction is set between 30 and 45 mm Hg.
B) The patient receives nebulized bronchodilators every 2 to 3 hours.
C) A tight seal exists between the mask and the patient's mouth.
D) The patient is breathing between 30 and 40 breaths per minute.
Question 2
A patient with class IV heart failure has been receiving care in the cardiac critical care unit and attempts to wean the patient from inotropic support have been unsuccessful.
The care team has appraised the benefits and deficits of a ventricular assist device (VAD) and will present this option to the patient's family. When teaching the patient's family about this intervention, what description should the nurse provide?
A) A VAD is inserted to supplement the heart's ability to pump blood from the heart to the rest of the body.
B) A VAD regulates the electrical activity in the heart and coordinates the pumping action to increase efficiency.
C) A VAD increases the size of the blood vessels downstream from the heart so that circulation is easier and more efficient.
D) A VAD involves the insertion of a balloon into a major blood vessel to improve the strength and volume of circulation.
Physical therapist assisting a patient to walk in the parallel bars.
The liver in this photograph was from a deceased patient with an advanced state of cirrhosis.
Unit of blood.
Pneumonia patient’s chest x-ray. Note the irregular areas of density.
Semipermanent Pressure Cells
Koplik spots in the mouth of a patient with measles.