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A 68YO woman presents with light-headedness, nausea and chest discomfort. Your assessment finds her awake and responsive but appearing ill, pale and grossly diaphoretic. Weak, thready, fast radial pulse. Unable to obtain BP. No obvious dependent edema, flat neck veins. Her lung sounds are equal, with moderate rales bilaterally. The pt's pulse ox shows a reading of 84% on room air. Which initial action should you take?

A)Adult Tachycardia With a Pulse
B)Apply oxygen
C)Perform defibrillation
D)Synchronized cardioversion

User Dastan
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2 Answers

2 votes

Final answer:

The initial action that should be taken in this scenario is to apply oxygen.

Step-by-step explanation:

The initial action that should be taken in this scenario is to apply oxygen. The patient is experiencing symptoms such as light-headedness, nausea, and chest discomfort, along with a weak and thready pulse and low oxygen saturation level. These are suggestive of decreased oxygen supply. By applying oxygen, the patient's oxygen levels can be increased, helping to relieve symptoms and improve their condition.

User Jerameel Resco
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6.5k points
3 votes

Final answer:

The initial action that should be taken in this scenario is to B) Apply oxygen.

The answer is option ⇒b

Step-by-step explanation:

The patient's symptoms and low pulse ox reading indicate hypoxemia, which means a low level of oxygen in the blood.

Here's a step-by-step explanation:

1. Assessing the symptoms:

- The presence of symptoms suggests that the patient is experiencing oxygen deficiency.

- Symptoms may include shortness of breath, rapid breathing, confusion, dizziness, cyanosis (bluish discoloration of the skin), or increased heart rate.

2. Pulse oximetry reading:

- The low pulse ox reading indicates that the patient's blood is not adequately saturated with oxygen.

- Pulse oximetry is a non-invasive method used to measure oxygen saturation levels in the blood.

3. Applying oxygen:

- Oxygen therapy is the immediate intervention for hypoxemia to increase the oxygen level in the blood.

- Supplemental oxygen can be administered through various devices, such as nasal cannula, face mask, or ventilator, depending on the severity of the condition.

4. Monitoring the response:

- After administering oxygen, the patient's symptoms and pulse oximetry reading should be monitored.

- Improvement in symptoms and an increase in oxygen saturation levels indicate a positive response to the oxygen therapy.

The answer is option ⇒b

User Benjiman
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6.9k points