Practice Quiz

CNOR Operating Room Nursing

Category - Emergencies

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A patient has been placed on a ventilator as part of recovery following surgery. After several hours, they begin to show jerking muscle movements and are trying to breathe around the ventilator, causing increased airway pressure. What is the nurse’s most appropriate intervention at this point?
  1. Change the settings on the ventilator so the alarm does not continue.
  2. Administer a muscle relaxant to calm the patient and prevent breathing around the ventilator.
  3. Call respiratory therapy to change the circuits on the ventilator.
  4. Administer a paralytic agent to suppress the patient’s muscle activity and prevent excess breathing around the ventilator.
Explanation
Answer: B-When a patient becomes agitated and starts bucking the ventilator, the nurse should administer a muscle relaxant to calm the patient and prevent breathing around the ventilator. The patient is not breathing in sequence with the ventilator and may be very anxious about being intubated. A muscle relaxant will provide a calming effect.
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