A nurse is assisting the guardians of a newborn with the transition to parenthood. Which of the following actions should the nurse take?

A. Changing a sterile dressing for a client who is postoperative: Changing a sterile dressing requires the use of sterile technique and nursing judgment, making it a task that must be performed by a licensed nurse, not delegated to assistive personnel.

B. Performing a gastrostomy feeding on a stable client: While assistive personnel can assist with feeding in general, administering a gastrostomy feeding requires specific assessment and verification of tube placement, which must be done by a licensed nurse.

C. Observing the patency of an intravenous catheter on a stable client: Observing and assessing IV catheter patency is a nursing responsibility. It requires assessment skills and cannot be delegated to assistive personnel.

D. Providing postmortem care to a client: Providing postmortem care, such as bathing, positioning, and preparing the body, is a task that can be safely delegated to assistive personnel, following proper facility protocols and respectful handling of the deceased.

• alcohol intoxication: Although the client consumed one beer, this small amount is unlikely to cause unresponsiveness, respiratory depression, or the need for naloxone administration. Alcohol intoxication alone does not explain the profound sedation and pinpoint pupils observed.
• alcohol withdrawal: Alcohol withdrawal typically presents with signs like agitation, tremors, hallucinations, and seizures, not sedation, miosis, and depressed respiratory drive. The client’s symptoms are inconsistent with alcohol withdrawal.
• hallucinogen intoxication: Hallucinogen use usually leads to agitation, paranoia, hallucinations, and dilated pupils (mydriasis), not the sedated state, respiratory depression, and miotic pupils that this client is exhibiting.
• opioid intoxication: The client's unresponsiveness, respiratory depression, and pinpoint pupils, combined with a positive response to naloxone, are classic indicators of opioid intoxication. These findings directly align with the expected effects of opioid overdose.
• opioid withdrawal: Opioid withdrawal presents with signs like agitation, mydriasis, diarrhea, piloerection, and flu-like symptoms. The client’s current state of sedation and miotic pupils contradicts what would be seen during opioid withdrawal.
• amount of alcohol consumed: The small amount of alcohol (one beer) does not correlate with the severity of the client’s clinical presentation. Thus, alcohol consumption is not the primary factor contributing to the current state.
• breath sounds: Breath sounds are clear and equal bilaterally, indicating that the lungs are not the source of the client's critical condition. There is no evidence of respiratory infection or pulmonary complications.
• abdominal findings: Decreased bowel sounds are common in opioid intoxication due to decreased gastrointestinal motility. However, while supportive, this finding is less definitive than the hallmark sign of pupil constriction.
• pupil characteristics: The presence of pinpoint pupils (miosis) is a hallmark sign of opioid intoxication. Miotic pupils, especially in an unresponsive client who improved after naloxone, strongly support opioid overdose as the primary diagnosis.
• current temperature: The client's temperature is within normal limits, providing no significant diagnostic clue toward explaining the cause of unresponsiveness or respiratory depression.