In cases of heroin toxicity, what is the nurse's priority assessment for an intubated client?

In cases of heroin toxicity, particularly for an intubated client, the priority assessment for the nurse focuses on arterial blood gases (ABGs). This assessment is crucial because heroin acts as a potent opioid, leading to respiratory depression, which consequently can result in hypoventilation, decreased oxygenation, and an accumulation of carbon dioxide in the blood.

Evaluating ABGs provides essential information regarding the client’s respiratory status, metabolic balance, and overall tissue perfusion. It helps determine the levels of oxygenation and acid-base status, which are critical in assessing how effectively the body is oxygenating its tissues and managing carbon dioxide.

While monitoring pulse oximetry is also valuable for gauging oxygen saturation, ABGs give a more comprehensive view of the client’s respiratory function and metabolic state, which is particularly important in the context of opioid overdose.

Other assessments like heart rate and blood pressure are certainly important for overall cardiovascular status, but they do not provide the specific insight into respiratory function that ABGs do in the scenario of heroin toxicity. Therefore, monitoring ABGs is the most critical assessment in this situation.