Final answer:
For an unresponsive client with alcohol toxicity, the nurse should gather supplies for endotracheal intubation to maintain the airway. This procedure is critical to ensure adequate ventilation and prevent aspiration. Other treatments, like beta blockers or cooling blankets, are less appropriate for immediate care in this context.
Step-by-step explanation:
When caring for a client who has alcohol toxicity and is unresponsive in the emergency department, the priority interventions should be to maintain the airway and prepare for any necessary life-saving measures. In this situation, the correct intervention would be: Gather supplies for endotracheal intubation. This procedure ensures that the airway remains open and that the client can be ventilated effectively if spontaneous breathing is inadequate or absent. Intubation may be critical to prevent aspiration and facilitate breathing. The other options, such as administering a beta blocker intravenously, positioning the client in a low-Fowler's position, or placing a cooling blanket over the client, are less appropriate or not directly related to the immediate life-threatening issue of maintaining an airway in a patient with alcohol toxicity.
It is important to monitor for symptoms of withdrawal; however, potential complications of immediate concern, such as respiratory depression, take precedence. Emergency department staff should also be prepared to provide supportive care, including intravenous fluids to address dehydration, and managing any complications that arise. Moreover, controlled hypothermia is a method used post-cardiac arrest to reduce heart damage, not typical for alcohol toxicity unless specified cardiac complications arise from the overdose situation.