Best NCLEX RN Question Bank Practice Question
The nurse is monitoring the function of a client's chest tube that is attached to a chest drainage system. The nurse notes that the fluid in the water-seal chamber is below the 2-cm mark. What should the nurse determine based on this finding?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The water-seal chamber should be filled to the 2-cm mark to provide an adequate water seal between the external environment and the client's pleural cavity. The water seal prevents air from reentering the pleural cavity. Because evaporation of water can occur, the nurse should remedy this problem by adding sterile water until the level is again at the 2-cm mark. The other interpretations are incorrect.
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