A nurse is caring for a client who has an endotracheal tube (ET) and is on mechanical ventilation. Which of the following actions should the nurse take for a ventilator alarm due to an increase in peak airway pressure? (Select all that apply.)

Rationale:

• Sensation: Tingling indicates possible nerve irritation or mild neurovascular compromise. This is often seen in fractures when swelling or bone displacement compresses nerves near the injury site, especially in long bones like the radius.
• Ecchymosis: Bruising results from soft tissue bleeding and is common in all three conditions due to trauma to blood vessels. Ligament tears (sprain), bone injury (fracture), and capsule damage (dislocation) can all lead to ecchymosis.
• Pain level: Moderate pain, such as a 4/10 rating, is consistent with both sprains and fractures. Sprains stretch or tear ligaments, while fractures disrupt bone structure. Dislocations usually present with severe, sharp pain that impairs joint movement entirely.
• Edema: Swelling is a nonspecific but common response to tissue injury. It occurs with ligament strain (sprain), bone disruption (fracture), and joint trauma (dislocation), all of which lead to localized inflammation and fluid accumulation.

Rationale:

A. Measure the client's apical pulse while another nurse measures their radial pulse: Assessing for a pulse deficit involves comparing the apical and radial pulses simultaneously. A difference between the two indicates that not all heartbeats are reaching peripheral circulation, often seen in arrhythmias like atrial fibrillation.

B. After inflation, deflate a blood pressure cuff on the client's arm while palpating their brachial pulse: This method is used for measuring blood pressure, not for identifying pulse deficits. It does not provide information on the difference between central and peripheral pulse rates.

C. Compare the client's carotid pulse while resting to their carotid pulse after standing for 1 min: This assesses for orthostatic changes, not pulse deficit. Pulse deficit requires comparison of apical and radial pulses, not positional changes in carotid pulse strength or rate.

D. Assess both of the client's radial pulses at the same time and compare the quality of pulsations: Comparing bilateral radial pulses helps detect differences in circulation or vessel obstruction but does not assess for a pulse deficit, which specifically involves apical-radial pulse comparison.