The nurse is caring for a patient with severe pancreatitis and who is orally intubated and on mechanical ventilation. The patient's calcium level this morning was 5.5 mg/dL. The nurse notifies the provider and:
a. places the patient on seizure precautions.
b. expects that the provider will come and remove the endotracheal tube.
c. withhold any further calcium treatments.
d. place an oral airway at the bedside.
A
Patients with severe hypocalcemia (serum calcium level less than 6 mg/dL) should be placed on seizure precaution status, and respiratory support equipment should be available (e.g., oral airway, suction). In this case, the patient is already intubated so an oral airway is not needed. This value is critically low and replacement of calcium is expected.
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