Difficulty: Medium
Average Score: 62%
Full-length
The nurse is informed that a newborn infant with Apgar scores of 1 and 4 will be brought to the nursery. The nurse determines that which intervention is the priority?
Correct answer
A
Rationale
The top priority action for a newborn infant with low Apgar scores is maintaining a patent airway, which would involve preparing respiratory resuscitation equipment. Although the remaining options are also important, they are of lower priority. The newborn infant's cardiopulmonary status would be monitored by a cardiorespiratory monitoring device. Setting up an IV with D5W would provide circulatory support. The radiant warmer will provide an external heat source, which is necessary to prevent further respiratory distress.