The nurse is assessing a patient with suspected traumatic cervical spine injury who just arrived to the emergency department. The nurse knows the priority actions for caring for this patient include all of the following. Place the actions in order of priority.

Choice A reason:

A Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score that improves from 9 to 12 indicates a positive trend in the patient's neurological status. While monitoring is still required, this patient is not the highest priority.

Choice B reason:

A patient requesting pain medication for a new onset headache needs attention, but this is not as urgent as a significant decline in the Glasgow Coma Scale score, which can indicate a deterioration in neurological function.

Choice C reason:

A Glasgow Coma Scale score that drops from 10 to 8 signifies a significant decline in the patient's neurological status, indicating potential worsening of the condition. This patient requires immediate assessment and intervention to identify and address the cause of the deterioration.

Choice D reason:

A patient with a moderate brain injury who is amnesic for the event needs ongoing monitoring, but this is not as urgent as addressing a significant drop in the Glasgow Coma Scale score.

Choice A reason:

Providing small doses of opioid analgesia is important for pain management, but it is not the highest priority in a patient with a closed head injury on mechanical ventilation. Pain control should be balanced with the need to monitor neurological status.

Choice B reason:

Maintaining pCO2 of 35-45 is critical for patients with a closed head injury on mechanical ventilation. Proper pCO2 levels help manage intracranial pressure (ICP) and prevent secondary brain injury. Hyperventilation to lower pCO2 can reduce ICP but must be carefully controlled to avoid cerebral ischemia.

Choice C reason:

Administering an anti-anxiety agent can help manage agitation and anxiety, but it is not the highest priority. Sedation must be used cautiously in head injury patients to avoid masking changes in neurological status.

Choice D reason:

Monitoring blood pressure every four hours is necessary for overall patient care, but continuous monitoring and immediate interventions are more critical in managing intracranial pressure and preventing secondary brain injury.