Question

While accessing vital signs of a client with a head injury and increased intracranial pressure (IICP), a nurse notes that the client's respiratory rate is 8 breaths/min. How will the nurse interpret this finding?

a. Bradypnea is a response to IICP.
b. This is a normal respiratory rate.
c. IICP most commonly results in tachypnea.
d. Bradypnea is uncommon in a client with IICP.

Answer 1

The nurse observing a client's vital signs with 8 breaths per minute would interpret this as bradypnea, a response to increased intracranial pressure, which is slower than the normal respiratory rate.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question at hand involves a nurse observing the vital signs of a client with a head injury and increased intracranial pressure (IICP). Notably, the client's respiratory rate is 8 breaths per minute, which is termed bradypnea. Bradypnea, or a slower than normal respiratory rate, can often be a compensatory response to IICP. In such a case, the respiratory centers in the brain, specifically the medulla oblongata, may be affected, leading to altered breathing patterns. The normal respiratory rate in an adult at rest ranges from 12-15 breaths per minute. Therefore, the correct interpretation would be that bradypnea is indeed a response to IICP (a.), demonstrating a deviation from normal respiratory rates and reflecting the patient's pathophysiological condition.