Pass your NCLEX with AI-powered practice
Practice anytime, anywhere via WhatsApp. Get instant feedback, adaptive difficulty, and expert explanations for every question.
NCLEX Coach
online
📝 Question
Category: Physiological Adaptations
Difficulty: high
A client comes to the emergency department (ED) with pronounced wheezing and mild dyspnea. The initial ABG results are pH 7.32, PaCO2 48 mm Hg (6.38 kPa), HCO3 24 mEq/L (24 mmol/L), and PaO2 51 mm Hg (6.78 kPa). The client is given 1 L/min of oxygen per nasal cannula and placed in high-Fowler’s position. An hour later, the ABG results are pH 7.35, PaCO2 38 mm Hg (5.05 kPa), HCO3 24 mEq/L (24 mmol/L), and PaO2 60 mm Hg (7.98 kPa). Which action does the nurse take first?
1. Increase the oxygen flow rate.
2. Prepare the client for admission to the intensive care unit.
3. Continue to monitor the client.
4. Place the client in semi-Fowler’s position.
Reply with the number of your choice
3
NCLEX Coach
online
✅ Great job, there! 🎉
💡 Expert tip:
As the nurse caring for a client with breathing difficulties, you need to be able to interpret arterial blood gases and intervene with appropriate actions. You must recognize abnormalities, such as the respiratory acidosis and hypoxia in this situation, with increased PaCO2 and lower PaO2. Remember that you need to be constantly:
Assessing client’s responses to interventions.
Evaluating the effectiveness of interventions.
Despite the initial interventions (supplemental oxygen and high-Fowler’s position), the client’s respiratory acidosis is improved, but hypoxia persists. Additional oxygen can be delivered by increasing the oxygen flow rate, as the client is currently receiving a low concentration of oxygen (1 L/min).
