Final answer:
Using a Venturi mask to deliver oxygen as ordered is the best action to promote adequate gas exchange in a client with advanced COPD. The Venturi mask provides precise oxygen concentrations, critical for managing COPD's compromised lung function.
Step-by-step explanation:
The best nursing action for promoting adequate gas exchange in a client with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is using a Venturi mask to deliver oxygen as ordered. Keeping a client in a semi-Fowler's position can also assist with breathing by reducing the pressure on the diaphragm and aiding lung expansion, though the Venturi mask is the most direct method for ensuring precise oxygen delivery. Drinking fluids and administering sedatives do have their place in care but are not primarily focused on optimizing gas exchange.
People with COPD may have decreased alveolar surface area, reduced number of alveoli and decreased elasticity, which impairs their ability to fully exhale air from the lungs, leading to air trapping and inadequate gas exchange. Therefore, ensuring precise oxygen delivery is critical. A Venturi mask is designed to provide a specific concentration of oxygen by mixing oxygen with inhaled air. It is particularly beneficial for people with COPD because it can deliver the precise amount of oxygen needed to improve hypoxemia without worsening carbon dioxide retention, which is a risk with other types of oxygen therapy.