Question

The nurse is caring for a client with right pleural effusion that needs to be treated. Which of the following items should the nurse have available for immediate use by the physician?

1) ABG kit
2) Intubation kit
3) Paracentesis tray
4) Thoracentesis tray

Answer 1

To treat a client with right pleural effusion, a thoracentesis tray should be available for immediate use by the physician, as it contains the necessary tools for removing fluid from the pleural space.

Step-by-step explanation:

The nurse is caring for a client with right pleural effusion that needs to be treated. To assist the physician, the nurse should have a thoracentesis tray available for immediate use. A thoracentesis is a procedure where a needle is inserted into the pleural space to remove fluid, such as in the case of a pleural effusion. An ABG kit, or arterial blood gas kit, is used for measuring the amounts of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood and is not specifically required for a thoracentesis. An intubation kit would be necessary if the patient were in respiratory distress and needed mechanical ventilation, which is not indicated solely by the presence of a pleural effusion. A paracentesis tray is used for removing fluid from the peritoneal cavity, not the pleural space. Therefore, the correct item the nurse should have available is the thoracentesis tray.