RN Nursing · Pneumonia · Practice question
A pneumonia patient has PaO₂, 55 mmHg. Which intervention is priority?
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✓
Apply supplemental oxygen
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Increase oral fluids
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Incentive spirometry
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Encourage coughing
Answer & explanation
Correct: Apply supplemental oxygen
A PaO₂ of 55 mmHg is significantly below the normal range of 80–100 mmHg and meets the clinical definition of hypoxemia. In a patient with pneumonia, infectious consolidation impairs gas exchange by creating ventilation-perfusion mismatch, leading to inadequate oxygenation. The priority intervention is to apply supplemental oxygen to correct the hypoxemia and prevent progression to respiratory failure or end-organ hypoxia. Airway and breathing take precedence over all other interventions in standard nursing priority frameworks. Increasing oral fluids supports hydration and helps thin secretions but does not directly or rapidly correct dangerously low PaO₂. Incentive spirometry promotes lung expansion and is valuable for preventing atelectasis and improving ventilation over time, but it is not an acute correction for established hypoxemia at this level. Encouraging coughing can help clear airway secretions but similarly does not provide the immediate oxygen delivery needed when PaO₂ is critically low. Supplemental oxygen is the single fastest, most direct intervention to raise arterial oxygen tension and protect the patient from further deterioration.
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