A 47-year-old patient was admitted to the medical surgical u…
A 47-year-old patient was admitted to the medical surgical unit this morning with progressive weakness and difficulty walking that began 10 days ago. The patient reports a recent respiratory infection two weeks ago and has a history of influenza vaccination last month. On assessment, the patient demonstrates bilateral lower and upper extremity weakness, shallow respirations, and diminished breath sounds. Diagnostic results include: Cerebral Spinal Fluid (CSF) protein: 190 mg/dL (Normal: 15–45 mg/dL) Cerebral Spinal Fluid (CSF) WBC: 3 cells/mm³ (Normal: 0–5 cells/mm³) ALT: 85 U/L (Normal: 7–56 U/L) AST: 72 U/L (Normal: 10–40 U/L) Serum creatinine: 1.6 mg/dL (Normal: 0.6–1.2 mg/dL) Which nursing action is the priority for this patient?