Final answer:
The highest priority intervention in this scenario is to initiate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) immediately to provide artificial circulation and support the failing heart.
Step-by-step explanation:
The intervention with the highest priority in this scenario is to initiate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) immediately.
Apnea refers to the cessation of breathing, which can lead to oxygen deprivation and potential cardiac arrest. In this case, the patient is in respiratory failure, becoming apneic, which means they have stopped breathing. However, they still have a strong pulse, indicating that their heart is still beating. The dropping heart rate and appearance of sinus bradycardia at 30/min suggest that their heart is also starting to fail. Therefore, CPR should be initiated to manually compress the heart and provide artificial circulation until the patient can regain spontaneous contraction or until declared dead by a healthcare professional.