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The nurse in the intensive care unit receives arterial blood gases (ABG) with a patient who is complaining of being “short of breath.” The ABG has the following values: pH = 7.21, PaCO2 = 64 mm Hg, HCO3 = 24 mm Hg. The labs reflect:

A patient has coronary artery bypass graft surgery and is transported to the surgical intensive care unit at noon and is placed on mechanical ventilation. Interpret the initial arterial blood gas levels pH: 7.31PaCO2: 48 mm Hg(HCO3) Bicarbonate: 22 mEq/LPaO2: 115 mm HgO2 saturation: 99%

A patient is injured in a motor-vehicle crash and is transported to the emergency department. The healthcare provider determines the need for an immediate thoracotomy and chest tube insertion and anticipates the need for maximal suction pressure. The appropriate type of closed-chest drainage system for this patient is a

A client who has been hospitalized for treatment of a pneumothorax is ready for discharge. Which outcomes indicate that the client has adequate respiratory function? Select all that apply.

When the ventilator alarm sounds, the nurse finds the patient lying in bed holding the endotracheal tube (ET). The first intervention by the nurse is to

The pilot balloon on the endotracheal tube of a client being mechanically ventilated is deflated. What is the consequence of this situation?

A nurse is caring for a patient the ER who has sustained five fractured ribs from blunt chest trauma. The patient is rating pain 9 out of 10 on a 0-10 scale. The patient is also experiencing a higher than normal b/p and is very restless due to the intense pain. For which pain management strategy should the nurse advocate for?

A nurse is caring for a patient who has a tracheostomy tube in place. During routine trach care, which of the following should the nurse place underneath the flanges of the outer cannula?

The patient has the following ABG results: pH 7.30, PaO2 50, Co2 45, HcO3 22. What ventilator change would the nurse anticipate?

A patient who suffered a head injury is intubated and receiving mechanical ventilation via the Assist Control (AC) mode.  The nurse understands that this means which of the following?