Study 6 Complications and Patient Safety with 12 free online flashcards. Review key terms, definitions, and concepts with this interactive flashcard deck.
What should be monitored to detect changes during IV therapy?
Compare the patient’s condition with baseline and trend vital signs, oxygen saturation, intake and output, weight, relevant laboratory results, and the prescribed infusion rate.
Which changes may signal IV fluid overload?
New breathlessness, cough, falling oxygen saturation, crackles, tachycardia, raised blood pressure, restlessness, edema, or a rapidly positive fluid balance may indicate overload.
What symptoms can indicate an infusion reaction?
Possible signs include flushing, rash or itching, fever or chills, nausea, chest or back discomfort, dizziness, or changes in pulse or blood pressure.
What serious complication can result from overly rapid correction of chronic hyponatremia?
Correcting chronic or duration-unknown hyponatremia too rapidly can cause osmotic demyelination syndrome, a potentially serious neurologic injury.
How must concentrated IV potassium be administered?
Concentrated potassium must be diluted and given by controlled infusion, never as an IV push; monitoring depends on dose and patient risk.
When should reassessment during IV fluid therapy become more frequent?
Reassess more frequently when the patient’s condition or fluid and electrolyte needs are changing.
What is the initial response to suspected fluid overload?
Stop or pause the infusion, assess airway, breathing, and circulation, sit the patient upright if tolerated, and urgently escalate according to the patient’s condition and protocol.
How can nurses help prevent fluid overload during an infusion?
Verify the fluid, prescribed volume and rate, pump settings, and patient identity; account for all fluid sources and reassess after rate changes.
Which infusion-reaction findings may indicate anaphylaxis?
Airway swelling, wheezing, breathing difficulty, hypotension, or reduced consciousness may signal anaphylaxis, a medical emergency.
What is the initial response to a suspected infusion reaction?
Stop the suspected infusion, summon urgent help for severe symptoms, assess airway, breathing, and circulation, monitor vital signs and oxygen saturation, and follow the emergency protocol.
What is a key priority when an infusion reaction suggests anaphylaxis?
Activate the emergency response and ensure prompt IM epinephrine is given under the applicable protocol; do not delay treatment while seeking IV access.
How should IV access be managed after stopping a suspected reaction-causing infusion?
If access is needed, maintain it with a separate compatible setup as directed; do not flush the suspected infusion into the patient.
A medium-difficulty quiz on applying person-centred principles of fundamental care, including dignity, choice, safety, independence, infection prevention, and observation.
Learn how to make an emergency scene safer, rapidly identify and address immediate threats to life, prioritize patients, and reassess as conditions change.
A practical guide to recognizing immediate threats, providing appropriate first aid while EMS is coming, and prioritizing emergency transport decisions.
A medium-difficulty quiz on generating plausible hypotheses, comparing urgency and risk, explaining priorities, and revising them as patient cues change.
A medium-difficulty quiz on selecting and communicating an appropriate patient destination using patient needs, facility capabilities, travel conditions, and local protocols.
Learn how to select and communicate a patient destination by matching clinical risk and likely care needs to facility capability, travel conditions, and local EMS protocols.
Learn how to verify a patient’s identity safely before care, what to do when information does not match, and how to proceed when a patient cannot confirm their identity.
Learn how to compare plausible explanations for a client’s findings and prioritize the concern that poses the greatest immediate risk.
A medium-difficulty quiz on setting measurable patient goals and selecting, implementing, and evaluating interventions that address the priority problem.
Learn how to support safe, comfortable, and independent toileting, provide elimination and skin care, and recognize changes that require reporting or urgent attention.
Learn how to implement safe, prioritized nursing interventions, respond to deterioration, communicate concerns, and reassess patient outcomes.
Practice applying the NGN clinical judgment steps, using common item formats, and interpreting client changes.