Alexandra Rousseau Ila Faye Miller Nursing School, University of the Incarnate Word NURS 4445 Dr. Jenny Rendon, Mrs. Erin Robertson March 29, 2024 An exemplar that has always fascinated me is anaphylactic shock. Anaphylactic shock is a type of shock caused by an anaphylactic allergic reaction, which is a severe hypersensitivity reaction causing swelling of the throat and obstruction of the airway leading to mass vasodilation and capillary leakage that, if untreated, leads to shock and potential death. Depending on when the reaction is caught, symptom severity may vary, but a patient in full anaphylactic shock presents to the emergency department with pruritis, urticaria, nausea, vomiting, and most distinctively …show more content…
A bolus of 1-2 L of intravenous fluid is needed for an adult to expand the intravascular volume, with more fluids needed in more severe cases. Position the patients supine and elevate their lower extremities to increase blood pressure, then monitor them for six to eight hours (Crawford & Harris, 2015). These evidence-based practices align with my prior reflection, but also expand upon them in specificity and additional comfort measures. For example, the concentration of epinephrine was not specified, something that is important considering epinephrine comes in concentrations of both 1:1000 and 1:10000. Additionally, although maintaining the airway and administration of oxygen were brought up, the specific airway intubation type and oxygen delivery device were not mentioned in the initial reflection. Intubation is endotracheal with possible mechanical ventilation and 100% high-flow oxygen should be administered via a nonrebreather mask (Curry, 2021). IV fluids were not explored in depth. One to two liters of fluids such as normal saline are recommended for an adult patient experiencing anaphylactic shock to replenish intravascular volume and stabilize blood pressure (Crawford & Harris, 2015). Through these nursing actions, the lives of countless patients have