Vital Signs And Baseline Comparison Practice Test

A nurse in a long-term care facility is performing a morning assessment on an 82-year-old client with a history of well-controlled hypertension and chronic kidney disease. The client's baseline blood pressure over the last month has averaged 118/74 mmHg. During the assessment, the client appears slightly flushed and reports a persistent, dull headache that started an hour ago. The nurse measures the client's blood pressure and finds it is 152/94 mmHg.

A client who underwent a major abdominal surgery 6 hours ago is being monitored on the surgical unit. The client's baseline oxygen saturation (SpO2) on room air prior to surgery was 97%. During the current hourly check, the nurse observes that the client is increasingly drowsy, has shallow respirations, and the SpO2 has dropped to 91% on room air.