The nurse enters the patient's room and finds that the patient is not breathing and has no pulse. The patient does not have a do-not-resuscitate order. What would the nurse's most immediate action be?

Question

a. Call the cardiac/respiratory arrest team.
b. Begin CPR.
c. Call a co-worker for help.
d. Get the crash cart.

Answer 1

A
The nurse's first action should be to summon the cardiac/respiratory arrest team because it will take them a few minutes to arrive, and the patient's best outcome depends on their rapid arrival. As soon as the team has been called, the nurse should begin CPR. If the arrest is not called over the public address system, the nurse should call a co-worker for help while performing CPR or after initiating CPR. If the code is called over the public address system, co-workers will hear the call and will come to the room without being summoned. Once co-workers have been alerted, they can obtain the crash cart and summon additional support.