Nursing Care Plan - Ineffective Airway Clearance
Nursing Care Plan - Ineffective Airway Clearance
Nursing Care Plan - Ineffective Airway Clearance
Assess airway for Maintaining an airway is always top priority Patient is able to state their
patency by asking especially in patients who may have name without difficulty.
the patient to state experienced trauma to the airway. If a
his name. patient can articulate an answer, their
airway is patent.
Inspect the mouth, Foreign materials or blood in the mouth, No foreign objects, blood in
neck and position hematoma of the neck or tracheal mouth noted. Neck is free of
of trachea for deviation can all mean airway obstruction. hematoma. Trachea is midline.
potential
obstruction.
Auscultate lungs Decreased or absent sounds may indicate Patient’s lungs sounds are clear
for presence of the presence of a mucous plug or airway to auscultation throughout all
normal or obstruction. Wheezing indicates airway lobes.
adventitious lung resistance. Stridor indicates emergent
sounds. airway obstruction.
Assess respiratory Flaring of the nostrils, dyspnea, use of Patient is free of signs of
quality, rate, depth, accessory muscles, tachypnea and /or distress.
effort and pattern. apnea are all signs of severe distress that
require immediate intervention.
Assess for mental Increasing lethargy, confusion, restlessness Patient is awake, alert and
status changes. and / or irritability can be early signs of oriented X3.
cerebral hypoxia.
Assess changes in Tachycardia and hypertension occur with Patient is normotensive with
vital signs. increased work of breathing. heart rate 60 – 100 bpm.
Monitor arterial Increasing PaCO2 and decreasing PaO2 are ABGs show PaCO2 between 35-45
blood gases signs of respiratory failure. and PaO2between 80 – 100.
(ABGs).
Position Patient Promotes better lung expansion and Patient’s rate and pattern are of
with head of bed improved gas exchange. normal depth and rate at 45
45 degrees (if degree angle.
tolerated).
Assist Patient with Assist patient to improve lung expansion, Patient is able to cough and deep
coughing and deep the productivity of the cough and mobilize breathe effectively.
breathing secretions.
techniques
(positioning,
incentive
spirometry,
frequent position
changes).
Confirm placement Complications such as esophageal and CO2 detector changes color,
of the artificial right main stem intubations can occur bilateral breath sounds are
airway. during insertion. Artificial airway audible equally and artificial
placement should be confirmed by CO2 airway is at the tip of the carina
detector, equal bilateral breath sounds and on x-ray.
a chest x-ray.
3. prepare the
patient for
definitive
treatment
If neck trauma is Hemorrhage or disruption of the larynx and Patient is free of signs of
present: trachea can be seen as hoarseness in hemorrhage or disruption. CT
speech, palpable crepitus, pain with scan reveals no injury to the
swallowing or coughing, or hemoptysis. larynx.
1. assess for The neck should be also assessed for
potential ecchymosis, abrasions, or loss of thyroid
hemorrhage prominence.
and Laryngeal injuries are most definitely
disruption of diagnosed by CT scans as soft tissue neck
the larynx films are not sensitive to these injuries.
or trachea
2. prepare the
patient for
CT scan