Medical Emergencies · single question
A patient becomes over-sedated during a procedure and the blood pressure monitor shows erratic, unreliable numbers. What is the FIRST action?
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. Check blood pressure manually with a cuff
- A. ❌ Reversal agent is specific to the sedative used and requires prior clinical assessment.
- B. ✅ Correct. The first step is to VERIFY whether the BP reading is truly abnormal (patient deterioration) or simply a monitor malfunction. A manual cuff check quickly clarifies the clinical situation before escalating response.
- C. ❌ Oxygen is an important adjunct but clinical assessment comes first.
- D. ❌ Calling emergency services before confirming the readings are real may be premature — the monitor may simply be malfunctioning.
Practice Medical Emergencies questions Medical Emergencies study notes