The Nurse Is Caring for a Patient with a Tracheostomy

question 35

Multiple Choice

The nurse is caring for a patient with a tracheostomy tube. Which nursing intervention is most effective in promoting effective airway clearance?

• A) Suctioning respiratory secretions several times every hour
• B) Administering humidified oxygen through a tracheostomy collar
• C) Instilling normal saline into the tracheostomy to thin secretions before suctioning
• D) Deflating the tracheostomy cuff before allowing the patient to cough up secretions

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Definitions:

Realized Niche

The actual conditions and resources in which a species exists as a result of competition in its ecosystem.

Fundamental Niche

The potential mode of existence of a species given its adaptations, without considering the effects of competition or other biotic factors on its actual distribution.

Limiting Resources

Essential resources (such as food, water, and shelter) that are in short supply, limiting the growth, reproduction, or distribution of organisms.

Interspecific Competition

A form of competition between individuals of different species inhabiting the same ecological area.