A patient who is septic is restless and agitated. The chest X-ray results indicate bilateral patchy infiltrates. As the patient's condition continues to deteriorate, which finding would raise the nurse's concern that the patient is developing ARDS?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Refractory hypoxemia, meaning the patient is not responding to increased oxygen therapy, is a hallmark finding in ARDS. While the other options may also be present in a septic patient, they are not specific to ARDS.

A Patient Who Is Septic Is Restless and Agitated