Airway Nursing Assessment 2022

Running head: CASE STUDY 1
Case Study
Student Name
Institutional Affiliation

2
Case Study
Introduction
An emergency department is a section in the hospital setting that specializes in
emergency medicine and handling acute patients who need immediate management and are
susceptible to complications (Hallifax, 2017). This department applies the principles of priority
care by triaging the patients requiring urgent medication to be seen first (Mollaoğlu, & Çelik,
2016). The department is comprised of all medical professions that help in managing the patient
in the acute phase. Ongoing care is not provided in the emergency department hence patients are
transferred to the wards for further management.
Clinicians receiving the patient are required to assess the patient using the A-E algorithm
to determine the priority patient needs hence plan urgent management. The Airway, Breathing,
Circulation, Disability, Exposure approach enables the clinicians to assess the situation of the
patient and manage them before making the definitive diagnosis (Olgers, Dijkstra, Drost-de
Klerck, & Ter Maaten, 2017). This essay aims to discuss in depth the urgent management of a
patient presenting in the emergency department and analyze the social, biological, psychological,
and political-economic factors that need to be considered during patient discharge. The aim will
be achieved by utilizing the A-E algorithm in patient management and analysis of the patient
during release to determine the factors to be addressed.

3
Nursing assessment
Airway
The nurse has a role in assessing the patency of the airway in trauma patients who arrive
at the emergency department. Maintaining a patent airway and ensuring adequate ventilation
leads to the prevention of hypoxia and hypercapnea. Hypercapnea leads to a reduced level of
consciousness and respiratory acidosis, which can result in end-organ damage. In trauma
patients, the nurse has a role in immobilizing the neck to prevent further damage to the cervical
spine (Parker, & Magnusson, 2016).In the scenario of Mr. Corey Knight, the patient was hit by a
car, thrown on the bonnet, and fell on the roadside. Due to the nature of the injury, the patient is
assumed to have sustained multiple injuries. The patient had Asmol inhaler in her pocket, a sign
that she is asthmatic. Due to the stress of the accident, an asthma attack might be triggered. The
nurse should assess for signs of airway inflammation by listening to breath sounds concentrating
on the presence of a wheeze.
The nurse should assess for maxillofacial and neck injuries to confirm the presence of a
foreign body in the airway; hence, the nurse should monitor for the presence of any blood,
secretions, or debris in the airway and perform suctioning to clear the airway. Partially
obstructed airway presents with noisy breathing and increased the effort of breathing. The nurse
should instruct the patient to verbalize a series of numbers with his hands on the back to test
fremitus since blocked vibrations indicate an obstructed airway. In an emergency setting, the
nurse has the role of assessing the airway and use the head-tilt and chin-lift criteria to open the
airway (Kuszajewski, O'Donnell, Phrampus, Robey III, & Tuite, 2016). The nurse should
remove any obstruction to ensure sufficient air entry, and in cases when a patent airway cannot