Final answer:
Administering oxygen via a nonrebreathing mask can help save a patient from carbon monoxide poisoning. Prior to applying the mask, administering oxygen via nasal cannula is recommended to provide initial treatment for carbon monoxide poisoning.
Step-by-step explanation:
Prior to applying a nonrebreathing mask on a patient with difficulty breathing and signs of hypoxemia, it is important to administer oxygen via nasal cannula. This is because the initial treatment for patients with carbon monoxide poisoning is to immediately remove them from the exposure and administer oxygen. Oxygen hastens the dissociation of carbon monoxide from carboxyhemoglobin, turning it back into hemoglobin. Administering oxygen via a nonrebreathing mask can help deliver a higher concentration of oxygen to the patient, shortening the half-life of carbon monoxide, and saving the patient from carbon monoxide poisoning.