A patient's endotracheal tube is not secured tightly.The respiratory care practitioner assists the nurse in taping the tube.After the tube is retaped,the nurse auscultates the patient's lungs and notes that the breath sounds over the left lung fields are absent.The nurse suspects that

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The endotracheal tube can become dislodged during repositioning and is likely to be in the right mainstem bronchus.It is important to reassess breath sounds after the retaping procedure.A pneumothorax would also result in diminished or absent breath sounds; however,it is not associated with repositioning the endotracheal tube.Aspiration may occur during the procedure but would be manifested in changes in the chest x-ray or by hypoxemia,for example.The stethoscope is not a factor.

A Patient's Endotracheal Tube Is Not Secured Tightly