A patient who is terminally ill is described during shift report as having Cheyne-Stokes breathing. On assessment, the nurse anticipates finding:

A. Rinsing the thermometer with water is not necessary to ensure an accurate reading. The thermometer should be cleaned after use but rinsing with water does not directly ensure accuracy.
B. Using a dry cotton ball to dry the thermometer is unnecessary and could leave fibers on the device that may interfere with reading accuracy.
C. Wiping the thermometer with alcohol helps sanitize it but does not directly influence the accuracy of the reading.
D. Shaking down the galinstan alloy to below normal is necessary to reset the thermometer before use, ensuring that the mercury level is accurate when taking a new temperature.

Rationale
A. Pumping the cuff until no sound is heard may cause inaccurate readings and is not a proper technique.
B. Stopping midway can result in missing sounds or causing an inaccurate measurement.

C. The bell of the stethoscope should be used for low-pitched sounds, but the key is to continue listening to identify the full Korotkoff sound range, especially in the presence of an auscultatory gap.
D. It is important to continue listening until the cuff is deflated to ensure the accurate measurement of both systolic and diastolic pressures, particularly in patients with an auscultatory gap.