Problem:
A 38-year-old mildly obese woman is brought to the emergency department by her older sister with a severe acute attack of her chronic asthma. The patient has audible wheezes on inhalation and exhalation. Her admitting vital signs are blood pressure 172/100, pulse 114, respiratory rate 24, temperature 100° F (38° C); oxygen saturation 78%. When the nurse asks if she took any asthma medications today, she nods yes but is too breathless to speak. Her lips and nailbeds are cyanotic, and she has an anxious expression on her face. The nurse notes that the patient has a brace around her right knee. Her sister tells the nurse that the patient called her about 30 minutes ago and asked to be taken to the hospital because several doses of her reliever inhaler were not helping her asthma attack. The sister has all of the client's prescribed medications in her purse, which include an albuterol inhaler, a salmeterol inhaler, and a fluticasone inhaler. When asked about the client's knee brace, the sister reports that the patient has chronic knee pain and has been taking both acetaminophen and an NSAID daily to manage the discomfort. Answer each question. What relevant assessment information is?