A nurse is preparing to administer dextrose 5% in water (DW) 150 mL IV to infuse over 3 hr. The drop factor of the manual IV tubing is 10 gtt. The nurse should set the manual IV infusion to deliver how many gtt/min? (Round the answer to the nearest whole number. Do not use a trailing zero.)

A. Encourage oral intake of at least 3,000 mL of fluids per day:
This is not a priority intervention for ARDS. While maintaining adequate hydration is important, the primary focus in ARDS is on respiratory support and oxygenation. Excessive fluid intake may exacerbate pulmonary edema in these patients.

B. Offer high-protein and high-carbohydrate foods frequently:
Nutritional support is important in ARDS, but the primary concern is oxygenation and respiratory function. Offering high-protein and high-carbohydrate foods can support the client's overall nutritional needs, but it may not directly address the respiratory distress.

C. Administer low-flow oxygen continuously via nasal cannula:
This is not typically sufficient for ARDS. ARDS often requires higher levels of oxygen support, and low-flow oxygen may not meet the increased oxygen demand. More aggressive oxygenation strategies, such as non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) or mechanical ventilation, may be necessary.

D. Place in a prone position:
Placing the patient in a prone position is a recommended intervention for ARDS. Prone positioning can improve oxygenation by optimizing ventilation-perfusion matching and reducing pressure on the lungs. This intervention is aimed at improving respiratory function in ARDS patients.

A. An increase in the CMV rate:
Increasing the continuous mandatory volume (CMV) rate would provide more mandatory breaths, which may not address the patient's respiratory acidosis. It could potentially worsen the situation by causing respiratory alkalosis.

B. Change to SIMV (Synchronized Intermittent Mandatory Ventilation) MODE
The patient's arterial blood gas results indicate respiratory acidosis with an elevated PaCO2 (50 mmHg) and a low pH (7.30). The nurse would recommend changing to SIMV mode to allow for spontaneous breaths in addition to the set mandatory breaths. This change helps the patient to have more control over their respiratory efforts and may assist in lowering the PaCO2.

C. A decrease in the PaO2:
Decreasing the partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2) is not an appropriate response, especially when the patient is already on mechanical ventilation and has a moderate PaO2 level. The primary concern is the elevated PaCO2 and respiratory acidosis.

D. A decrease in the CMV rate:

Decreasing the CMV rate would reduce the number of mandatory breaths, potentially allowing the patient to hypoventilate further and retain more carbon dioxide. This is not the appropriate intervention for a patient with respiratory acidosis.