Page 81 - Critical Care Nursing Demystified

66 CRITICAL CARE NURSING DeMYSTIFIED

Antipyretics to keep the patient’s temperature below 101°
Hydration with fluids to reverse dehydration

(See treatment for ARF)
Bronchodilators if airway narrowing occurs
Teaching pulmonary treatments like coughing and deep breathing and
incentive spirometry

Nursing Diagnoses Expected Outcomes
Ineffective airway clearance The patient will maintain a patient airway
The frequency of suctioning the patient will
decrease
Gas exchange impaired The patientʼs ABGs will return to baseline
Hyperthermia The patientʼs temperature will return to
baseline
Aspiration, risk for The patient will have clear breath sounds
The patientʼs cultures (blood, sputum) will be
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Nursing Interventions
Monitoring temperature every 2 hours and prn to determine if infectious pro-
cess is continuing
Assessing need and effectiveness of oxygen therapy to prevent oxygen-related
problems
Strictly enforcing standard precautions, especially the hand washing policy,
to prevent another infection from occurring
Frequent suctioning if needed to maintain a patent airway
Frequent patient positioning to prevent atelectasis and pooling of secretions
Teaching pulmonary treatments like coughing and deep breathing and incen-
tive spirometry to have patient help in care and give sense of power
(See nursing interventions for ARF)

Status Asthmaticus

What Went Wrong?
Asthma is a chronic condition of airways inflammation. The patient can have
bouts of acute attacks where airway closure becomes severe. An acute attack