Mr V Has Been Admitted for Exacerbation of His Chronic Heart

Multiple Choice

Mr. V. has been admitted for exacerbation of his chronic heart failure (HF) . When the nurse walks into his room, he is sitting on the edge of the bed, gasping for air, and his lips are dusty blue. Vital signs reveal heart rate of 112, respiratory rate of 36, and pulse oximeter reading of 81%. He starts coughing up frothy pink sputum. The priority intervention is to

A) have medical supply department bring up suction equipment.
B) apply oxygen via nasal cannula at 3 lpm.
C) page the respiratory therapist to come give him a breathing treatment.
D) call for emergency assistance utilizing hospital protocol.