The nurse is caring for a patient dependent on a mechanical ventilator. In order to reduce the risk of developing pneumonia, the nurse should do which of the following?

Explanation

•To prevent hospital-associated pneumonia, the nurse should perform oral care every 4 hours, reposition every 2 hours, and keep the head of the bed elevated to prevent aspiration and promote open airways.

•Restricting fluids can increase the risk of pneumonia.

•The use of prophylactic antibiotics for the prevention of hospital-associated pneumonia is not common and may actually increase the risk of developing resistant organisms.

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