A nurse is caring for a client who experiences an acute hemolytic transfusion reaction. What intervention should the nurse anticipate implementing?

A) Obtaining the client's informed consent is a critical step before any medical procedure, including blood transfusions. This ensures the client understands the risks and benefits of the transfusion and gives their consent willingly.

B) Confirming the client's blood type and Rh factor with the blood bank is essential to prevent transfusion reactions. Mismatching blood types can lead to severe transfusion reactions and is a crucial step in the transfusion process.

C) Administering pre-medication to prevent transfusion reactions is not a standard practice. However, the nurse should assess the client for any risk factors or history of previous transfusion reactions to take appropriate precautions.

D) Assessing the client's blood pressure and heart rate is an important part of the overall assessment before the blood transfusion.

A) Incorrect: Elevating the head of the bed may help promote lung expansion, but it is not the nurse's priority action when the client is experiencing severe symptoms like dyspnea, tachycardia, and chest pain during a transfusion.

B) Incorrect: Administering diuretics is not the appropriate action for the client's symptoms, which suggest a possible transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) or acute hemolytic transfusion reaction. Diuretics will not address the underlying cause.

C) Correct: The client's symptoms of dyspnea, tachycardia, and chest pain indicate a potential severe transfusion reaction. The nurse's priority action is to stop the transfusion immediately and notify the healthcare provider for further evaluation and intervention.

D) Incorrect: Continuing the transfusion at a slower rate is not appropriate when the client is experiencing severe symptoms. The nurse should first stop the transfusion and then notify the healthcare provider.