Help Them Breathe
Patient is short of breath. What is the FIRST position to place them in?
Patient is short of breath. What is the FIRST position to place them in?
➡️ Answer: High Fowler’s
Prompt: Why does positioning help before oxygen even sometimes?
Swelling in ankles and weight gain of 3 pounds in 2 days suggests what?
➡️ Answer: Fluid overload / Worsening heart failure
Prompt: Why is weight gain more reliable than edema alone?
Shaky, sweaty, confused diabetic patient most likely has what?
➡️ Answer: Hypoglycemia
Prompt: What is the FIRST thing you do?
Blood pressure 88/50. Should you give lisinopril?
➡️ Answer: No
Prompt: What could happen if you gave it?
Warm, red, swollen calf after surgery indicates what?
➡️ Answer: DVT
Prompt: Why is this dangerous if untreated?
Restlessness in a patient with respiratory issues is an early sign of what?
➡️ Answer: Hypoxia
Prompt: Why is restlessness earlier than cyanosis?
Patient on digoxin has a pulse of 54. What should the nurse do?
➡️ Answer: Hold the medication
Prompt: What complication are we preventing?
Which is more dangerous right now: blood sugar 45 or blood sugar 350?
➡️ Answer: 45
Prompt: Why is low blood sugar immediately life-threatening?
INR 4.5 and patient on warfarin. What should the nurse do?
➡️ Answer: Hold and notify provider
Prompt: What complication are you preventing?
Foul-smelling wound drainage suggests what?
➡️ Answer: Infection
Prompt: What systemic sign would worry you?
COPD patient becomes drowsy with slow respirations. What complication is developing?
➡️ Answer: Respiratory failure / CO₂ retention
Prompt: Why is drowsiness a dangerous sign in COPD?
Sudden confusion and severe headache in a hypertensive patient suggests what emergency?
➡️ Answer: Stroke
Prompt: Why is confusion a red flag with hypertension?
Fruity breath and rapid breathing in a diabetic patient indicates what?
➡️ Answer: DKA
Prompt: Why does the patient breathe fast in DKA?
Blood sugar 62. Should you give insulin?
➡️ Answer: No
Prompt: What is the priority intervention instead?
Sudden drop in urine output in a very ill patient can indicate what?
➡️ Answer: Shock
Prompt: What organ is being affected first?
Which oxygen device delivers the most precise oxygen concentration?
➡️ Answer: Venturi mask
Prompt: Why is precise oxygen control important in COPD?
Chest pain unrelieved by rest is most concerning for what?
➡️ Answer: Myocardial infarction
Prompt: What other symptom would make this more urgent?
Which condition has high blood sugar with no ketones but severe dehydration?
➡️ Answer: HHNS
Prompt: Which patient is at highest risk for HHNS?
Heart rate 52 and patient has digoxin ordered. Action?
➡️ Answer: Hold
Prompt: What symptom would make this an emergency?
New confusion in elderly hospitalized patient is often first sign of what?
➡️ Answer: Infection or hypoxia
Prompt: Why do older adults show confusion first?
Sudden chest pain and shortness of breath after a DVT is most likely what?
➡️ Answer: Pulmonary embolism
Prompt: What assessment finding would make this an emergency?
What lab value is most important to monitor in a patient on potassium-sparing medications?
➡️ Answer: Potassium level
Prompt: What happens if potassium gets too high?
Stopping steroids suddenly can lead to what life-threatening problem?
➡️ Answer: Adrenal crisis
Prompt: Why can’t steroids be stopped abruptly?
Patient on heparin has bleeding gums and bruising. This indicates what complication?
➡️ Answer: Bleeding
Prompt: What lab value would you check?
Patient becomes restless, then lethargic, with falling O₂ sat. This pattern indicates what?
➡️ Answer: Worsening hypoxia → respiratory failure
Prompt: At what point would you call rapid response?