A Patient Is Extubated and Placed on a Cool,bland Aerosol

question 8

Multiple Choice

A patient is extubated and placed on a cool,bland aerosol with 30% oxygen.Twenty minutes post extubation,the respiratory therapist is called to assess the patient,who has shortness of breath.The respiratory therapist observes intercostal retractions,accessory muscle use,and a respiratory rate of 38 breaths/min.Stridor can be heard without a stethoscope,and the SₚO₂ has dropped from 97% to 85%.The patient is given an aerosolized racemic epinephrine treatment and reassessed.Accessory muscle use continues,intercostal retractions decrease slightly,and stridor is heard on auscultation.The patient's respiratory rate is 30 breaths/min and the SₚO₂ is 88%.What should the respiratory therapist recommend?

• A) Reintubation and mechanical ventilation
• B) Heliox therapy and steroid administration
• C) Increase the FɪO₂ on the cool bland aerosol to 40%
• D) Use a nonrebreather mask with 15 L/min oxygen.

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Definitions:

Aerobic Respiration

The process of producing cellular energy involving oxygen.

ATP

Adenosine triphosphate, a molecule that provides energy to drive many processes in living cells, acting as a universal energy currency.

Tropomyosin

A regulatory protein in muscle cells that blocks the binding site for myosin on actin molecules, preventing muscle contraction in the absence of calcium.

F-actin Double Helix

A structural configuration of actin filaments arranged in a twisted double helix, significant in muscle contraction and cell movement.