Assessing for hypoxemia
LTC Nursing Assistant Trainer, November 20, 2008
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Hypoxemia is a condition in which there is insufficient oxygen in the blood. It is not a disease. Residents who are immobile and those on bedrest have an increased risk of hypoxemia. It can signal respiratory failure and impending death.
If not promptly reversed, the resident will need acute care of emergency services. When hypoxemia develops, immobility is a barrier to positive outcomes.
When assessing for hypoxemia, check and record the following in the resident:
- Complete vital signs.
- Respiratory status.
- Auscultate lungs.
- Chronic pulmonary or cardiac conditions.
- Capillary refill on all four extremities, or according to facility policy. Although capillary refill time varies with age, it should return to normal within two to three seconds in all residents. The color should be restored in the nail bed in the length of time it takes you to say the words “capillary refill.”
- Whether he or she exhibits
- cyanosis
- restlessness
- confusion - Level of consciousness
This is an excerpt from HCPro’s book, Resident Assessment and Monitoring for Long-Term Care: Essential Tools and Guidelines for Clinicians, written by Barbara Acello, RN, MSN.
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