A nurse is caring for a client who is receiving morphine intravenously. Which of the following findings indicates the client is experiencing morphine toxicity?

Choice A reason: Comparing the medication label to the provider’s prescription three times is a safety step during administration, not reconciliation. Reconciliation verifies the client’s home medications against new orders to prevent errors like omissions or duplications. This action occurs post-reconciliation, focusing on administration accuracy, not the initial verification of the medication list.
Choice B reason: Medication reconciliation involves comparing the client’s home medication list to admission prescriptions to ensure continuity and accuracy. This process identifies discrepancies, such as missed medications or incorrect doses, preventing adverse drug events. It requires verifying with the client or family and cross-checking provider orders, making it the cornerstone of safe transitions in care settings.
Choice C reason: Administering medications to treat a condition to the actual prescriptions is unclear and not part of reconciliation. Reconciliation focuses on verifying and documenting medications, not administering them. This option does not align with the systematic process of ensuring all medications are correctly prescribed upon admission, making it incorrect.
Choice D reason: Ensuring administration within 3 hours of the scheduled time relates to medication administration protocols, not reconciliation. Reconciliation verifies the accuracy of the medication list before administration. This step is about timing, not the verification process critical to preventing errors during care transitions, rendering it irrelevant to the task.

Choice A reason: Suctioning the ET removes secretions obstructing airflow, increasing peak airway pressure. Mucus buildup narrows the airway, triggering alarms. Clearing secretions restores patency, reduces pressure, and prevents complications like atelectasis or hypoxia, critical for effective ventilation in mechanically ventilated clients.
Choice B reason: Verifying ET placement ensures the tube is in the trachea. Misplacement, like esophageal intubation, increases airway resistance, elevating peak pressure. Confirmation via capnography or X-ray prevents hypoxia, ensuring proper ventilation and safety in clients on mechanical ventilators.
Choice C reason: Checking for kinks in ventilator tubing addresses mechanical obstructions raising peak airway pressure. Kinks restrict airflow, triggering alarms. Straightening tubing restores normal gas delivery, reducing resistance and maintaining effective ventilation, preventing hypoxia in mechanically ventilated clients.
Choice D reason: Administering a bronchodilator relieves bronchospasm, a common cause of high peak airway pressure. Bronchoconstriction narrows airways, increasing resistance. Bronchodilators relax smooth muscles, improving airflow and reducing pressure, addressing reversible causes like asthma in ventilated clients.
Choice E reason: Increasing tidal volume exacerbates high peak airway pressure, risking barotrauma or lung injury by forcing air against resistance. Addressing underlying causes like secretions or bronchospasm is safer, as higher volumes do not resolve the root issue, potentially worsening outcomes.