A patient's arterial line waveform has become damped. The nurse should
a. check for kinks, blood, and air bubbles in the tubing.
b. prepare for a normal saline fluid challenge for hypotension.
c. discontinue the arterial line.
d. check the patient's lung sounds.
A
A damped waveform occurs when communication from the artery to the transducer is interrupted and produces false values on the monitor and oscilloscope. Damping is caused by a fibrin "sleeve" that partially occludes the tip of the catheter, by kinks in the catheter or tubing, or by air bubbles in the system.
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