Question

In a busy trauma room, a team is working on the victim of a terrible car accident. When the patient first arrived, she was able to answer the questions of the trauma team. Suddenly, alarms start to go off as the patient loses consciousness. A nurse cries out, “She’s decompensating!” One of the technicians, who is tasked with keeping track of the patient’s vitals, looks at the monitors. Which of the following readings would she likely see on the machine at this point?

Answer 1

In the scenario described, the patient is experiencing a critical decline in her condition, as indicated by the alarms going off, which suggests that she is likely undergoing hypotension (low blood pressure) or tachycardia (high heart rate), or both. Given that the patient was initially responsive, the worsening condition indicates a potential significant loss of blood volume (hypovolemic shock), severe neurological impairment, or cardiogenic issues.

In this context, the technician might observe the following abnormal vital signs on the monitors:

1. Blood Pressure: A significant drop in blood pressure (hypotension), potentially showing systolic blood pressure below 90 mmHg or even lower.

2. Heart Rate: An increase in heart rate (tachycardia), potentially showing a heart rate greater than 100 beats per minute as the body attempts to compensate for decreased blood flow.

3. Oxygen Saturation: A drop in oxygen saturation (SpO2), which may fall below 90%, signaling that the patient is not adequately oxygenating her blood.

4. Respiratory Rate: An increased respiratory rate or signs of respiratory distress, possibly showing evidence of labored breathing or hypoventilation.

Based on the situation described, the technician would likely see decreased blood pressure and increased heart rate as the most critical and alarming readings on the monitors.