A nurse caring for a patient with a tracheostomy should determine whether the patient needs suctioning by:
A) monitoring the rate of respirations.
B) determining the last time the patient was suctioned.
C) examining the character of the sputum.
D) auscultating the breath sounds.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Auscultating the patient's breath sounds helps the nurse assesses for retained secretions and verifies the need for suctioning. The respiratory rate may rise when suctioning is needed, but it could also rise for other reasons.

A Nurse Caring for a Patient with a Tracheostomy Should