The most likely cause of Connie’s respiratory alkalosis revealed in her VBG results is that when a patient is hyperventilating i.e. asthma exacerbation which causes an increase in respiratory rate, which results in the blowing off of more carbon dioxide (Larkin & Zimmanck, 2015). This is revealed in Connie’s low reading of 38mmHg for her PvC02, and as CO2 decreases so does the H+ ions in the blood which results in the alkalosis (Larkin & Zimmanck, 2015).
The nurse should encourage Connie to undertake deep breathing techniques to reduce her respiratory rate which has caused the respiratory alkalosis and also to reduce anxiety (Dhooria & Agarwal, 2015; Farrell & Dempsey, 2014). The nurse should instruct Connie to breathe deeply, exhale through her nose, then take a short breath and finally cough from deep in her lungs (Farrell & Dempsey, 2014). This ensures that oxygen is reaching the lower lobes of the lungs and can also assist in clearing secretions that might be hindering breathing (Dhooria & Agarwal, 2015; Farrell & Dempsey, 2014). Some breathing exercises the nurse could encourage …show more content…
Once the chosen interventions are undertaken on Connie, the nurse should evaluate the outcomes of those interventions, for example, all the nursing care interventions provided were based on evidence based practice, although if at any point any of the interventions cause additional stress, are ineffective or cause further deterioration they should be immediately ceased. In conclusion, from this case study I have discovered the importance of conducting a thorough assessment of your patient from the beginning of patient care to ensure that the correct care is being provided from the start of the treatment process and the best outcomes for the patient can be
The nurse should encourage Connie to undertake deep breathing techniques to reduce her respiratory rate which has caused the respiratory alkalosis and also to reduce anxiety (Dhooria & Agarwal, 2015; Farrell & Dempsey, 2014). The nurse should instruct Connie to breathe deeply, exhale through her nose, then take a short breath and finally cough from deep in her lungs (Farrell & Dempsey, 2014). This ensures that oxygen is reaching the lower lobes of the lungs and can also assist in clearing secretions that might be hindering breathing (Dhooria & Agarwal, 2015; Farrell & Dempsey, 2014). Some breathing exercises the nurse could encourage …show more content…
Once the chosen interventions are undertaken on Connie, the nurse should evaluate the outcomes of those interventions, for example, all the nursing care interventions provided were based on evidence based practice, although if at any point any of the interventions cause additional stress, are ineffective or cause further deterioration they should be immediately ceased. In conclusion, from this case study I have discovered the importance of conducting a thorough assessment of your patient from the beginning of patient care to ensure that the correct care is being provided from the start of the treatment process and the best outcomes for the patient can be