The nurse is caring for a patient whose temperature has dropped from 102.4° F to 99.4° F.The nurse notes that the patient's face is flushed.What is the reason for this assessment finding?

A) The patient is exhausted from shivering.
B) The patient's infection has spread to the bloodstream.
C) Vasodilation is working to lower the body temperature.
D) The patient's core temperature has dropped too low.

Vasodilation is the widening of blood vessels.It works to lower body temperature by increasing blood flow to the skin and enabling heat loss through radiation.The patient's flushed face does not indicate that the infection has spread to the bloodstream.Exhaustion from shivering would not lead to a flushed face.Signs of hypothermia include uncontrolled shivering,loss of memory,depression,and poor judgment,not flushing of the face.