A client has a pulmonary embolism and is started on oxygen.The student nurse asks why the client's oxygen saturation has not significantly improved.What response by the nurse is best?

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A large blood clot in the lungs will significantly impair gas exchange and oxygenation.Unless the clot is dissolved,this process will continue unabated.Hyperventilation can interfere with oxygenation by shallow breathing,but there is no evidence that the client is hyperventilating,and this is also not the most precise physiologic answer.Respiratory distress syndrome can occur,but this is not as likely.The client may need to be mechanically ventilated,but without concrete data on FiO₂ and SaO₂,the nurse cannot make that judgment.

A Client Has a Pulmonary Embolism and Is Started on Oxygen.The