A patient with chronic obstructive lung disease tells the nurse that he does not always wear the prescribed oxygen at home because it is cumbersome and he is rarely short of breath
Which of the following is the nurse's best response to this patient? 1. "Wearing it will help keep your blood oxygen saturation levels up so your heart does not have to work as hard and will not become enlarged.".
2. "You really should wear it at least while sleeping.".
3. "It seems like you are doing fine without it.".
4. "Keep the oxygen at home and if you become short of breath, you know to put it on until you are able to breathe normally again.".
"Wearing the oxygen will help keep your blood saturated so your heart does not have to work as hard and will not become enlarged.".
Rationale: The nurse should instruct the patient on the benefits of using long-term oxygen therapy to prevent the development of polycythemia vera. Polycythemia vera is an increase in the hematocrit level above normal as a compensatory mechanism to hypoxia. Cor pulmonale can develop, which is an enlargement of the right side of the heart, and can lead to mortality in the patient with chronic obstructive lung disease. The nurse should encourage the patient to wear the oxygen at all times and not just during sleep. It may be misleading to state that the patient is doing fine without the oxygen. The nurse should also not just instruct the patient to wear the oxygen when he becomes short of breath but to wear it at all times as prescribed.
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