A nurse is caring for a client.

Exhibits

A nurse is reviewing the client's medical record. After reviewing the medical record, which of the following actions should the nurse plan to take? For each potential provider's prescription, click to specify if the potential prescription is anticipated, nonessential, or contraindicated for the client.

Rationale
• Assist the client to the bathroom.
• Non-essential: The client’s current condition indicates severe changes, including a significant drop in consciousness and worsening vital signs. Immediate priorities involve stabilization and monitoring rather than assisting with bathroom needs.
• Initiate seizure precautions.
• Anticipated: The client’s deteriorating condition, including restlessness, agitation, and decreased level of consciousness, increases the risk of seizures. Initiating seizure precautions is appropriate to ensure safety.
• Record GCS every 15 min for the first 4 hr.
• Anticipated: The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of 9 indicates a significant decrease in consciousness. Frequent monitoring of GCS is crucial to assess changes in neurological status and to guide further intervention.
• Elevate the head of the bed.
• Anticipated: Elevating the head of the bed can help with cerebral perfusion and decrease intracranial pressure. This is a common intervention for clients with neurological issues to improve comfort and safety.
• Keep the client's head in midline position.
• Anticipated: Maintaining a midline position helps ensure optimal cerebral perfusion and reduces the risk of complications. It is particularly important in clients with neurological changes.
• Encourage the client to cough.
• Non-essential: Given the client's current level of consciousness and agitation, encouraging coughing might not be appropriate and could cause further distress or complications.
• Decrease oxygen to 1.5L/min via nasal cannula.
• Contraindicated: The client’s oxygen saturation has dropped to 90% despite receiving 6 L/min of oxygen. Decreasing the oxygen flow could further impair oxygenation. The priority is to maintain or increase oxygen levels to ensure adequate oxygenation.

Heart rate
• Hypovolemic Shock
o The elevated heart rate of 104/min is consistent with hypovolemic shock, where the body compensates for reduced blood volume by increasing heart rate to maintain cardiac output and perfusion.
• Pulmonary Embolism
o An increased heart rate can also occur with pulmonary embolism as the body responds to decreased oxygenation and impaired cardiac function.
Respiratory effort
• Hypovolemic Shock
o Increased respiratory rate of 24/min may be a compensatory mechanism in hypovolemic shock to enhance oxygen delivery to tissues despite reduced blood volume.
• Pulmonary Embolism
o Elevated respiratory rate can also be seen in pulmonary embolism due to impaired gas exchange and increased respiratory effort to compensate for decreased oxygen levels.
Pain
• Pulmonary Embolism
o Pain, particularly pleuritic chest pain, is a common symptom of pulmonary embolism and could be indicative of embolic obstruction in the pulmonary circulation.
Blood pressure
• Hypovolemic Shock
o The drop in blood pressure to 88/54 mm Hg is consistent with hypovolemic shock, where reduced blood volume leads to decreased perfusion and hypotension.
Mentation
• Hypovolemic Shock
o Altered mentation, such as restlessness or agitation, can be a sign of hypovolemic shock as decreased perfusion affects brain function and consciousness.
• Pulmonary Embolism
o Changes in mentation can also occur in pulmonary embolism due to hypoxemia or decreased perfusion to the brain.