A child is brought to the emergency department with burns on the face and chest. What is the nurse's first priority?

A. Keep edematous areas moist and covered. Keeping edematous areas moist and covered can worsen edema by trapping moisture and heat, leading to increased swelling.
B. Reach the child to minimize body movement. Minimizing body movement is not appropriate as it can lead to muscle weakness and stiffness. Encouraging gentle movement and position changes is beneficial.
C. Change the child's position frequently. Changing the child's position frequently helps prevent complications such as pressure ulcers and improves circulation, which can aid in reducing edema.
D. Keep the head of the child's bed flat. Elevating the head of the bed can help reduce edema by promoting venous return and reducing fluid accumulation in dependent areas.

i. Pain:

Priority: Pain is a critical factor that needs immediate attention, especially since the adolescent reports a high pain level of 9/10, which indicates severe discomfort. Unmanaged pain can lead to increased stress, anxiety, and potentially worsen the patient’s condition. The adolescent is guarding the abdomen, which indicates severe pain possibly due to an underlying issue such as appendicitis or another serious abdominal pathology. The right lower quadrant pain and positive obturator sign suggest an acute abdomen, which could be life-threatening and requires urgent attention.

ii. Heart rate:

Priority: After addressing pain, the nurse should focus on the heart rate, which is elevated at 124 beats per minute (tachycardia). Tachycardia in this context could be a response to pain or an indication of infection, dehydration, or another serious underlying condition. Given that the temperature is slightly elevated (38°C or 100.4°F), there is a possibility of an infectious process, which could be contributing to both pain and the elevated heart rate.

Other Considerations:

• Nausea: Addressing nausea is important but secondary to the more urgent need to manage severe pain and evaluate cardiovascular stability.
• Bowel Movement: The last bowel movement was yesterday, and the patient does not report significant changes in bowel habits, making this less urgent than the acute symptoms.
• WBC Count: While it’s important to assess WBC count to check for infection, it’s part of a broader diagnostic workup that follows after addressing immediate symptoms.
• Decreased Appetite: This is a symptom of the underlying condition but is not as immediate a concern as pain and heart rate in the acute setting.