Question

You respond to a nursing home for in an elderly woman with difficulty breathing. When you enter the patient's room, you find her lying in bed. She has dried blood around her mouth and is making a gurgling sound when she breathes. A staff nurse tells you that the patient has a history of high blood pressure and two heart attacks. Responding paramedics are en route. What should you do first? A. Administer high flow oxygen B. Update responding paramedic C. Performs thorough physical exam D. Place the patient in sitting position

Answer 1

A. Administer high flow oxygen

Step-by-step explanation:

The first step in this scenario is to administer high-flow oxygen to treat the patient's difficulty breathing. It is critical to ensure adequate oxygenation and ventilation while waiting for paramedics to arrive. Once the patient's oxygenation has been stabilized, a thorough physical exam can be performed to assess for any other underlying conditions, and the patient should be placed in a sitting position if possible to help open up the airways. Updating the responding paramedics is also important, so they are aware of the patient's condition and can provide any necessary support or treatment.