The nurse answers a call light and finds the patient gasping for breath and looking very anxious. Based on the patient's history, the nurse believes the patient may be experiencing a pulmonary embolism (PE)
Which of the following actions should the nurse take first?
a. Place the patient in a left lateral position.
b. Page the physician.
c. Yell for help and start oxygen.
d. Check the patient's vital signs.
ANS: C
Be alert to the presence of risk factors, and obtain immediate assistance if the cause of dyspnea might be PE. Death can occur if treatment is not quick and effective. Left lateral position will not help; leaving the patient to page the physician is not appropriate—someone else can page the physician. Checking vital signs is important but is not more important than oxygen.
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