Your patient is a 24-year-old woman with asthma who is struggling to breathe and is very agitated.She has cyanosis of her lips and nail beds,and is cool and clammy to the touch.When you attempt to assist her ventilations with a bag-valve-mask device,she becomes combative and repeatedly pushes the mask away from her face.Which of the following is the BEST option?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The patient is in respiratory distress and requires immediate medical intervention. Despite attempts to assist her ventilations with a bag-valve-mask device, she is becoming increasingly agitated and combative. It is important to recognize that the patient's behavior is likely due to hypoxemia and not a conscious decision to resist treatment. Therefore, the best option is to begin transport immediately and contact medical control for advice. This allows for ongoing assessment and treatment while en route to the hospital. Using a nasal cannula may not provide adequate oxygenation in this acute situation, restraining the patient's hands may further agitate the patient and waiting for her level of consciousness to decrease could be potentially dangerous as she may deteriorate rapidly.

Your Patient Is a 24-Year-Old Woman with Asthma Who Is