A young patient with a history of asthma begins having decreased breath sounds and wheezing after physical activity. What is the nurse's priority action?

A. Complaints of frequent foul-smelling stool:Clients with cystic fibrosis often have pancreatic enzyme deficiencies, leading to malabsorption and steatorrhea frequent, bulky, and foul-smelling stools that contain undigested fat.

B. Finger clubbing:Clubbing is a result of chronic hypoxia and is a common finding in patients with long-standing pulmonary disease such as cystic fibrosis. It reflects poor oxygenation over time.

C. "Salty" skin surfaces:One of the hallmark signs of cystic fibrosis is salty-tasting skin due to excessive chloride in sweat. It is often noted by parents and used in the diagnosis through sweat chloride testing.

D. Extreme thirst:While dehydration can occur in CF, especially in hot weather, extreme thirst is not a common or defining symptom. It is more typically associated with conditions like diabetes mellitus or insipidus.

E. Thick sputum production:CF leads to thick, sticky mucus production in the lungs and airways. This results in chronic cough, recurrent infections, and difficulty clearing secretions, all of which are prominent clinical features.

A. It causes only mild discomfort at the site the probe is placed:Pulse oximetry is noninvasive and typically does not cause any discomfort unless the probe is left on too long or applied too tightly.

B. It requires insertion of only a small catheter in one nostril:This refers to oxygen delivery via nasal cannula, not pulse oximetry. Mentioning catheter insertion may increase the client’s apprehension, as it implies an invasive procedure, which pulse oximetry is not.

C. It is painless and safe:Pulse oximetry is a noninvasive method that uses light to measure oxygen saturation through a fingertip or earlobe, making it both painless and very safe for continuous monitoring.

D. It has an alarm to signal dangerous drops in oxygen levels:While accurate, focusing on alarms may heighten the client’s anxiety by implying that dangerous events are expected. This information is more relevant after the client is reassured about the procedure’s safety.