Deck 19: Introduction to the Respiratory System

Question 1

The nursing instructor is talking with senior nursing students about diagnostic procedures used in respiratory diseases. The instructor discusses thoracentesis, defining it as a procedure performed for diagnostic purposes or to aspirate accumulated excess fluid or air from the pleural space. What would the instructor tell the students purulent fluid indicates?

A) Cancer
B) Infection
C) Inflammation
D) Heart failure

Answer 1

Infection

Question 2

You are performing pulmonary function studies on clients in the clinic. What position do you know a client should be in to have maximum lung capacities and volumes?

A) Lying on the unaffected side
B) Resting the head on a pillow
C) Lying flat on the back
D) In the standing position

Answer 2

In the standing position

Question 3

The nurse is caring for a client diagnosed with asthma. While performing the shift assessment, the nurse auscultates breath sounds including sibilant wheezes, which are continuous musical sounds. What characteristics describe sibilant wheezes?

A) They result from air passing through widened air passages.
B) They can be heard during inspiration and expiration.
C) They are heard in clients with decreased secretions.
D) They occur when the pleural surfaces are inflamed.

Answer 3

They can be heard during inspiration and expiration.

Question 4

What is the difference between respiration and ventilation?

A) Ventilation is the process of gas exchange.
B) Ventilation is the movement of air in and out of the respiratory tract.
C) Ventilation is the process of getting oxygen to the cells.
D) Ventilation is the exchange of gases in the lung.

Question 5

The student nurse is caring for a client who has serial sputum tests ordered. The student asks their instructor why the sputum tests have to be repeated on successive days. What would be the instructor's best response?

A) "Some clients cannot produce enough sputum to be tested, so successive samples may be needed."
B) "The sputum produced today may be from the left lung and tomorrow it may be from the right lung."
C) "Sometimes two tests are needed to verify a positive finding."
D) "A negative sputum test does not always mean that there is no disease present, so more than one test may be needed."

Question 6

The nurse working in the radiology clinic is assisting with a pulmonary angiography. The nurse knows that when monitoring clients after a pulmonary angiography, what should the physician be notified about?

A) Raised temperature in the affected limb
B) Excessive capillary refill
C) Absent distal pulses
D) Flushed feeling in the client

Question 7

Perfusion refers to blood supply to the lungs, through which the lungs receive nutrients and oxygen. What are the two methods of perfusion?

A) The two methods of perfusion are the bronchial and alveolar circulation.
B) The two methods of perfusion are the bronchial and capillary circulation.
C) The two methods of perfusion are the bronchial and pulmonary circulation.
D) The two methods of perfusion are the alveolar and pulmonary circulation.

Question 8

What happens to the diaphragm during inspiration?

A) It relaxes and raises.
B) It contracts and flattens.
C) It relaxes and flattens.
D) It contracts and raises.

Question 9

Your client is scheduled for a bronchoscopy to visualize the larynx, trachea, and bronchi. What precautions would you recommend to the client before the procedure?

A) Abstain from food for at least 6 hours before the procedure.
B) Avoid sedatives or narcotics as they depress the vagus nerve.
C) Avoid atropines as they dry the secretions.
D) Practice holding the breath for short periods.

Question 10

The nurse is preparing a client for a diagnostic procedure. What should the nurse remember when providing information and appropriate explanations about diagnostic procedures to clients?

A) Explanations should be as detailed as possible.
B) Explanations should never be repeated.
C) Energy levels of clients may be decreased.
D) Activity should be emphasized before and after procedures.

Question 11

The nurse is caring for a client in sickle cell crisis. The plan of care for this client includes giving oxygen by nasal canula. What is the rationale behind this nursing action?

A) Someone in sickle cell crisis is in so much pain it is hard for them to breathe.
B) The sickled red blood cells have damaged oxyhemoglobin so adequate oxygen does not reach the cells.
C) When the red blood cells sickle, they lose their oxygen carrying ability so adequate oxygen does not reach the cells.
D) The body uses more oxygen when it is in pain, so it is hard for the person to breathe.

Question 12

An 18-month-old child is brought to the Emergency Department by their parents who explain that their child swallowed a watch battery. Radiologic studies show that the battery is in the lungs. Which area of lung is the battery most likely to be in?

A) Right upper lung
B) Left upper lung
C) Right lower lung
D) Left lower lung

Question 13

The Family Nurse Practitioner is performing a physical examination of a client. The Nurse Practitioner examines the client's anterior, posterior, and lateral chest walls. What is the Nurse Practitioner assessing?

A) Deviation from the midline
B) Difficulty in swallowing
C) Evidence of muscle weakness
D) Suppressed gag reflex

Question 14

What determines the amount of CO₂ in the blood for the lungs to excrete?

A) The amount of hydrogen ions in the blood
B) The amount of bicarbonate in the blood
C) The amount of carbonic acid in the blood
D) The amount of plasma in the blood

Question 15

Your client has just had an invasive procedure to assess the respiratory system. What do you know should be assessed on this client?

A) Watery sputum
B) Loss of consciousness
C) Respiratory distress
D) Masses in pleural space

Question 16

You are caring for a client who is in respiratory distress. The physician orders arterial blood gases (ABGs) to determine various factors related to blood oxygenation. What site can ABG's be obtained from?

A) A puncture at the radial artery
B) The trachea and bronchi
C) The pleural surfaces
D) A catheter in the arm vein

Question 17

The nursing instructor is teaching a pre-nursing pathophysiology class. The class is covering the respiratory system. The instructor explains that the respiratory system is comprised of both the upper and lower respiratory system. The nose is part of the upper respiratory system. The instructor continues to explain that the nasal cavities have a vascular and ciliated mucous lining. What is the purpose of the vascular and ciliated mucous lining of the nasal cavities?

A) Cool and dry expired air
B) Move mucous to the back of the throat
C) Moisten and filter expired air
D) Warm and humidify inspired air

Question 18

A student nurse is caring for a client who is severely anemic. The instructor asks the student how anemia affects the transport of oxygen to the cells. What would be the student's best answer?

A) "The cells get oxygen from the plasma."
B) "The cells are denied adequate oxygen because most of the oxygen in the body is transported by the white blood cells."
C) "The cells have to work harder with the decreased oxygen levels."
D) "The cells are denied adequate oxygen because most of the oxygen in the body is transported by the hemoglobin in red bloodcells."

Question 19

You are a nurse in the radiology unit of your hospital. You are caring for a client who is scheduled for a lung scan. You know that lung scans need the use of radioisotopes and a scanning machine. Before the perfusion scan, what must the client be assessed for?

A) Bleeding
B) Iodine allergy
C) Dysrhythmias
D) Inflammation

Question 20

The instructor in the anatomy and physiology class is talking about alveolar respiration. What would the instructor tell the class is the main purpose of alveolar respiration?

A) Determines amount of oxygen in the body
B) Determines amount of bicarbonate in the body
C) Determines amount of PaO₂ in the body
D) Determines amount of CO₂ in the body

Question 21

You are the hospice nurse caring for a client with pulmonary fibrosis who wants to die at home. The client is having difficulty breathing. The family asks why it is so hard for the client to breathe. What would be the nurse's best response?

A) "They are dying and no longer have the energy to breathe."
B) "This is normal when a person is near the end of their life."
C) "The fibrosis of the lungs makes the lungs stiff which makes it harder to breathe.
D) "The disease is making your loved one retain carbon dioxide, so there is not enough room in the blood for adequate oxygen."

Question 22

You are assessing the respiratory system of a client just admitted to your unit. What do you know to assess beside the physical and functional issues related to breathing?

A) How these issues affect the client's quality of life.
B) How these issues affect the relationships in the client's life.
C) How these issues affect the client's effort to breathe.
D) How these issues affect the client's ability to function.

Question 23

You are caring for a client admitted with chronic bronchitis. The client is having difficulty breathing, and the family asks you what causes this difficulty. What would be your best response?

A) "Anytime there is a chronic disease process it is hard for the person to breathe."
B) "Having a chronic respiratory disease scars the lung and affects the effort it takes to breathe."
C) "In this particular case your family member is just overly tired and having problems breathing."
D) "Conditions such as chronic bronchitis cause thickening of the bronchial mucosa so it makes it harder to breathe."