Care of an intubated client: Nursing skills

Nurse Yasmine is receiving the nurse-to-nurse report on an elderly client named Earl who is being transferred from the emergency department to the intensive care unit, or ICU. The emergency department nurse explains, “Earl collapsed in his home following a cardiac arrest and was found unresponsive by a family member. After arriving at the emergency department, he was intubated and started on mechanical ventilation. He will be transferred to the ICU in about 10 minutes ”

Nurse Yasmine notes that Earl is also receiving continuous IV sedation, and has a urinary catheter and a nasogastric tube. Nurse Yasmine will use what she knows about providing safe, effective, and quality care for an intubated client to promote positive client outcomes.

Intubation is a procedure where an endotracheal tube, or ETT, is inserted through a client’s mouth and into their trachea, which is usually performed prior to surgery or during emergencies when the client’s airway is compromised, such as a cardiac arrest. The ETT keeps the airway patent in order for oxygen to reach the client’s lungs.

After a client is intubated, the ETT tube can be attached to a mechanical ventilator to deliver oxygen and breaths to the client, which allows the client’s respiratory muscles to rest to promote healing and recovery. Mechanical ventilation can be used in the short-term, like during surgery, or more long-term, like with c respiratory failure or airway obstruction.

Okay, so when a client undergoes intubation and is placed on mechanical ventilation, the client is at an increased risk of developing complications such as infection, airway trauma, pressure injury, deep vein thrombosis, and malnutrition.