A nurse is caring for a client who has esophageal varices and is hypotensive after vomiting 500 mL of blood. Which of the following actions is the nurse's priority?

A. Administer a unit of packed RBCs: While blood transfusion may be necessary, restoring intravascular volume quickly with IV fluids is the immediate priority to maintain perfusion while awaiting blood product availability and cross-matching. B. Increase the client's IV fluid rate: The priority action is to restore circulating volume and improve blood pressure. Rapid intravenous fluid resuscitation is critical in managing hypotension caused by blood loss. C. Initiate a dopamine IV infusion for the client: While dopamine can be used in shock to increase blood pressure, the immediate action is to first stabilize the patient with IV fluids before considering vasopressors. D. Elevate the client's feet: Elevating the feet can help improve circulation, but it is not as effective as directly addressing the hypotension with IV fluids. The priority is volume resuscitation to stabilize the client.