Care essential 2
Check ventilator settings and
modes.
When you enter the patient’s room,take vital signs, check oxygen saturation,listen to breath sounds, and note changes from previous findings. Also assess the patient’s pain and anxiety levels. Read the patient’s order and obtain information about the ventilator. Compare current ventilator settings with the settings prescribed in the order. Familiarize yourself with ventilator alarms and the actions to take when an alarm sounds. Locate suction equipment and review its use. Look for a bag-valve mask, which should be available for every patient
with an artificial airway; be sure you know how to hyperventilate and hyperoxygenate the patient.