Acute Respiratory Failure
This lab value is primarily used to determine hypoxemia in acute respiratory failure.
What is PaO₂?
ARDS often develops within this time frame after an initial lung injury.
What is 7 days?
This is the most common mode of mechanical ventilation used in critically ill patients.
What is Assist-Control (AC) ventilation?
This nursing intervention helps prevent aspiration pneumonia
What is elevating the head of the bed 30 degrees?
An ABG shows pH 7.48, PaCO₂ 32, HCO₃⁻ 24. What disorder is present?
What is respiratory alkalosis?
A PaO₂ < 60 mmHg and/or PaCO₂ > 50 mmHg with pH < 7.35 defines this condition.
What is acute respiratory failure?
This hallmark finding on a chest x-ray is commonly associated with ARDS.
What are bilateral “ground-glass” infiltrates?
This ventilator setting ensures alveoli remain open at the end of expiration.
What is PEEP (positive end-expiratory pressure)?
The patient should be turned every ___ hours
What is 2 hours?
A patient with pH 7.30, PaCO₂ 60, HCO₃⁻ 24 is in what state?
What is respiratory acidosis?
Name two common causes of hypoxemic respiratory failure.
What are pneumonia, heart failure with pulmonary edema, ARDS, atelectasis, PE, high altitudes, smoke inhalation, carbon monoxide poisoning, hypovolemic shock, hypoventilation
In ARDS, severe hypoxemia persists despite this common intervention.
What is oxygen therapy?
Name two signs that a patient may need mechanical ventilation.
What are respiratory rate > 30/min and PaO₂ < 60 despite O₂ therapy? (other answers: altered mental status, use of accessory muscles, fatigue)
Frequent oral care is used to prevent this ventilator complication.
What is ventilator associated pneumonia?
A patient with ARDS has pH 7.32, PaCO₂ 55, PaO₂ 45, and SaO2 of 86% on 100% oxygen. What type of respiratory failure does this indicate?
What is acute combination (hypoxemic/hypercapnic) respiratory failure?
This type of respiratory failure results from inadequate alveolar ventilation leading to carbon dioxide retention
What is ventilatory (hypercapnic) respiratory failure?
The Berlin definition of ARDS classifies severity based on this clinical parameter.
What is the PaO₂/FiO₂ ratio?
Name two ways to verify placement of an endotracheal (ET) tube
What are checking end-tidal carbon dioxide levels, chest x-ray, assess for breath sound bilaterally, assess for sounds over the gastric area, assess for symmetric chest movement, assess for air emerging from the ET tube
This GI complication is a result of stress from mechanical ventilation
What are stress ulcers?
Which ABG value is used to calculate the PaO₂/FiO₂ ratio for ARDS severity classification?
What is PaO₂?
The nurse interprets an ABG with PaO₂ 55, PaCO₂ 60, and pH 7.28. What type of respiratory failure is this?
What is combined hypoxemic and hypercapnic respiratory failure?
Name two late complications of ARDS that can result from prolonged ventilation.
What are pulmonary fibrosis and barotrauma? (other answers: ventilator-associated pneumonia, multi-organ failure)
These are two types of non-invasive positive pressure ventilation systems (NIPPV)?
What are BiPAP and CPAP?
The nurse should always do this before suctioning a patient
What is preoxygenation?
The ABG shows pH 7.28, PaCO₂ 60, HCO₃⁻ 30. How should the nurse interpret this?
What is respiratory acidosis with metabolic compensation?