The nurse is caring for a patient with septic shock and MODS. A family member tearfully tells the nurse, "The doctor said my mother's organs are shutting down. How did that happen?" What is the nurse's best response?
1. "The infection attacks and destroys each organ, causing it to fail."
2. "Fever damages the brain, which controls all organs."
3. "Deprivation of oxygen during shock causes organs to fail to function properly."
4. "The stress of illness has overwhelmed your loved one."
3
Rationale 1: Infection does not strike each organ; rather, an inflammatory process begins a cascade of events that impair tissue perfusion and cause organs to fail.
Rationale 2: Fever may cause brain damage if exceedingly high and increase metabolic demand, thereby increasing oxygen demand, but it is not the primary cause of MODS.
Rationale 3: The cascade of events in shock states results in inadequate tissue perfusion and hypoxia, leading to organ failure.
Rationale 4: The stress response is activated as a compensatory mechanism; however, it is not the primary cause of MODS.
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