Question

You receive a call for a 70 year old female with respiratory distress. Her husband tells you that she has congestive heart failure; however, he does not think that she has been taking her medications as prescribed. The patient is laboring to breathe, appears tired, and has a diagnosis around her lips. You should:

A. Apply a pulse oximeter and assess her vital signs.
B. Obtain a complete list of all her medications.
C. Administer oxygen via a non rebreathing mask.
D. Assist her ventilations with a bag mask device.

Answer 1

In a case of a 70-year-old female with respiratory distress and a diagnosis around her lips, it is important to provide immediate respiratory support. The most appropriate action would be to administer oxygen via a non-rebreathing mask and assess the patient's vital signs and oxygen saturation level using a pulse oximeter. Obtaining a complete list of medications should also be done, but it is a secondary priority.

Step-by-step explanation:

Based on the symptoms described, it is important to provide immediate respiratory support to the patient. In this case, the patient is laboring to breathe, appears tired, and has a diagnosis around her lips, which may indicate respiratory distress. The most appropriate action to take would be to administer oxygen via a non-rebreathing mask (option C). This will help provide supplemental oxygen and improve the patient's breathing.

In addition, it is important to assess the patient's vital signs and oxygen saturation level using a pulse oximeter (option A). This will give a more accurate assessment of the patient's oxygen levels in the blood.

Obtaining a complete list of the patient's medications (option B) is also important for further evaluation and management of her condition. However, in this acute situation, providing immediate respiratory support should be the first priority.