The nurse is using a closed suction device. Which patient will be most appropriate for this suctioning method?

A) A 5-year-old with excessive drooling from epiglottitis
B) A 5-year-old with an asthma attack following severe allergies
C) A 24-year-old with a right pneumothorax following a motor vehicle accident
D) A 24-year-old with acute respiratory distress syndrome requiring mechanical ventilation

Closed suctioning is most often used on patients who require invasive mechanical ventilation to support their respiratory efforts because it permits continuous delivery of oxygen while suction is performed and reduces the risk of oxygen desaturation. In this case, the acute respiratory distress syndrome requires mechanical ventilation. In the presence of epiglottitis, croup, laryngospasm, or irritable airway, the entrance of a suction catheter via the nasal route causes intractable coughing, hypoxemia, and severe bronchospasm, necessitating emergency intubation or tracheostomy. The 5-year-old child with asthma would benefit from an inhaler. A chest tube is needed for the pneumothorax.