How can you evaluate if the patient is adequately ventilated?

Evaluating whether a patient is adequately ventilated is crucial for ensuring proper respiratory function and overall patient safety. Checking for adequate chest rise is an important indicator that the patient is receiving enough air during each breath, as effective ventilation produces noticeable expansion of the chest cavity.

Additionally, capnography readings provide real-time feedback on carbon dioxide levels in exhaled air. This measurement helps assess the adequacy of ventilation; a normal capnography reading indicates that carbon dioxide is being effectively removed from the body, which corresponds to adequate ventilation.

Observing facial color can provide some clues about oxygenation, but it is not a definitive measure of ventilation adequacy. Manual palpation of the abdomen is irrelevant in this context and does not provide information about the patient's respiratory status. Exclusively monitoring heart rate does not give a comprehensive picture of ventilation since heart rate can be influenced by various factors independent of respiratory function.

Thus, the combination of checking for chest rise and capnography reading provides a thorough assessment of how well the patient is ventilating, making it the correct choice.