A 56-Year-Old Patient Is Admitted to the Critical Care Unit

A 56-year-old patient is admitted to the critical care unit with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) .The patient has been intubated and is mechanically ventilated.The patient is becoming increasingly agitated, and the high-pressure alarm on the ventilator has been frequently triggered.The patient continues to be very agitated, and the nurse can find nothing physiologic to account for the high-pressure alarm.The next step should be to

A) administer midazolam 5 mg by intravenous push immediately.
B) eliminate noise and other stimuli in the room and speak softly and reassuringly to him.
C) obtain a stat arterial blood gas level; his agitation indicates he is becoming increasingly hypoxic.
D) call respiratory therapy to replace this obviously malfunctioning ventilator.