A nurse has been assigned to an internal disaster drill team and is triaging clients. Which of the following clients should the nurse classify with a green tag?

Rationale:

A. A client who has dementia and is incontinent of urine: This client has multiple contributing factors, cognitive impairment limits repositioning and self-care, while urinary incontinence increases skin moisture and maceration, promoting skin breakdown and pressure injury formation.

B. A client who is 2 days postoperative following orthopedic surgery: Although this client may have limited mobility, they are typically on a monitored recovery path with interventions like repositioning, early ambulation, and pain management, reducing their overall risk.

C. A client who has a T-tube following an open cholecystectomy: This client is generally alert, mobile with assistance, and able to communicate needs, which lowers their risk of pressure injury compared to more dependent individuals.

D. A client who has had a recent myocardial infarction: This client may be monitored in bed rest initially, but cardiovascular stability and mobility often improve quickly with treatment, making their pressure injury risk moderate rather than the highest among the group.

Rationale for Correct Choices:

• Serotonin syndrome: The client presents with restlessness, fever, abdominal pain, and disorientation all classic signs of serotonin syndrome. These symptoms developed after a recent dose increase of a serotonergic medication, indicating a likely adverse drug reaction.
• Adverse effects of paroxetine: Paroxetine, an SSRI, can cause serotonin syndrome, especially when recently increased or combined with other serotonergic agents. The timing of the dose escalation aligns with the emergence of the client’s acute symptoms.

Rationale for Incorrect Choices:

• Psychosis: While disorientation is present, there is no evidence of hallucinations, delusions, or loss of reality testing, which are essential features of psychosis.
• Mania: The client does not show signs of elevated mood, grandiosity, pressured speech, or risky behavior, which are typical of mania.
• Anxiety: Although anxiety is part of the client’s history, the sudden onset of fever and autonomic instability points more clearly to a toxic reaction rather than worsening anxiety.
• Fluoxetine discontinuation: Fluoxetine has a long half-life, and discontinuation typically causes delayed withdrawal symptoms like dizziness or mood swings not the acute systemic symptoms noted here.