NUR 409 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Hypotension, Trachea, Capnography
Document Summary
Advantages: patent airway (trauma/edema), mechanical ventilation, suctioning (secretions/mucus plug), decrease work of breathing, and improve oxygenation. Disadvantages: discomfort, cough reflex/swallowing reflex are depressed, inability to verbally communicate, use of restraints: secretions become thicker immune system response to airway (can give steroids or bronchodilators) Inadvertent removal self-extubation is not expected but can happen and is life threatening, therefore prevent by sedation not restrains. First assess to see if it is still needed before putting it back. Can cause laryngeal swelling, hypoxemia, bradycardia, hypotension, and even death. Advanced airway devices: oral airway: purpose is to keep tongue off back of airway when unconscious or loss of drive to breathe. Want to ventilate them with the ambu-bag and check for chest rise because you can accidently occlude airway. If they start coughing/gagging then remove it: nasal airway: purpose is if patient has a weak cough reflex or a lot of secretions and obstruction in oral airway, therefore entering through the nasal passage.
