You are caring for a cardiac arrest patient who has a body temperature of $84^{\circ} F$. You attempt defibrillation once with no success. At what core body temperature should you attempt defibrillation again?
A. $88^{\circ} F$
B. $85^{\circ} F$
C. $90^{\circ} F$
D. $86^{\circ} F
Answer (1)
The patient's current body temperature is 8 4 ∘ F .
Defibrillation is unlikely to be effective below 8 6 ∘ F .
We need to find the lowest temperature option that is at least 8 6 ∘ F .
The correct answer is 8 6 ∘ F .
Explanation
Understanding the Problem We are given a scenario where a cardiac arrest patient has a body temperature of 8 4 ∘ F . Defibrillation was attempted once without success. We need to determine the core body temperature at which defibrillation should be attempted again. According to medical guidelines, defibrillation is unlikely to be effective at body temperatures below 8 6 ∘ F ( 3 0 ∘ C ). Therefore, the goal is to increase the body temperature to at least 8 6 ∘ F before attempting defibrillation again.
Analyzing the Options We need to choose the lowest temperature from the given options that is greater than or equal to 8 6 ∘ F . The options are: A. 8 8 ∘ F B. 8 5 ∘ F C. 9 0 ∘ F D. 8 6 ∘ F
Evaluating Each Option Let's analyze each option: A. 8 8 ∘ F is greater than 8 6 ∘ F , so it's a possible answer. B. 8 5 ∘ F is less than 8 6 ∘ F , so it's not a suitable temperature to attempt defibrillation again. C. 9 0 ∘ F is greater than 8 6 ∘ F , so it's a possible answer. D. 8 6 ∘ F is equal to 8 6 ∘ F , so it's a possible answer.
Determining the Lowest Suitable Temperature Since we want the lowest temperature at which defibrillation can be attempted again, we compare the possible answers: 8 8 ∘ F , 9 0 ∘ F , and 8 6 ∘ F . The lowest of these is 8 6 ∘ F .
Final Answer Therefore, the correct answer is D. 8 6 ∘ F .
Examples
Imagine you're baking a cake, and the recipe says the oven needs to be at least 35 0 ∘ F for the cake to bake properly. If your oven is currently at 32 0 ∘ F , you need to wait until it reaches at least 35 0 ∘ F before putting the cake in. Similarly, in the medical scenario, defibrillation is like baking the cake – it needs a minimum 'temperature' (body temperature) to work effectively. Ensuring the patient's body temperature is at least 8 6 ∘ F before attempting defibrillation again is crucial for the procedure to have a chance of success.
