A 25-year-old nonsmoker who is normally in good health reports having a bad cough for the past 3 weeks. He has crackles and rhonchi, and shows the physician a small clear plastic container that has discolored, blood-tinged sputum that he produced this morning. What would the physician want to rule out?

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: The correct answer is C (Pneumonia). The symptoms described—persistent cough, crackles, rhonchi, and blood-tinged sputum—are indicative of pneumonia. Lung cancer (A) is less likely in a young nonsmoker. The flu (B) typically does not cause blood-tinged sputum. Asthma (D) does not usually present with these specific findings.

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: The correct answer is D: Validate that informed consent has been given by the client. This is crucial before any invasive procedure to ensure the client fully understands the risks, benefits, and alternatives. This protects the client's autonomy and promotes ethical practice. Choice A is incorrect because measuring oxygen saturation before and after a 12-minute walk is not relevant to preparing for a thoracentesis. Choice B is incorrect because while it is important for the client to understand possible complications, verifying this understanding is not the priority before the procedure. Choice C is incorrect because explaining the procedure in detail to the client and family is important, but ensuring informed consent comes first to respect the client's autonomy.

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: The correct answer is D because dead air is the air present in the alveoli that does not participate in gas exchange. It is located deep in the lungs, beyond the respiratory bronchioles where gas exchange occurs. Dead air does not reach the alveoli to participate in respiration. Choices A, B, and C are incorrect because the quantity of dead air or its oxygen content are not the primary reasons why it is not involved in respiration.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: Rationale for Correct Answer (C: Rifampicin): 1. Rifampicin is a first-line antibiotic for TB treatment. 2. It works by inhibiting RNA synthesis in the TB bacteria. 3. TB bacteria are less likely to develop resistance to Rifampicin. 4. Its effectiveness in treating TB has been well-documented. Summary of Why Other Choices Are Incorrect: A: Ethambutol - Effective against TB but not the most commonly used drug like Rifampicin. B: Streptomycin - Can be used in TB treatment but not as effective as Rifampicin. D: Penicillin - Ineffective against TB as TB bacteria are resistant to Penicillin.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: The correct answer is A: The patient has a narrowed airway. Wheezing throughout the lung fields indicates the presence of narrowed airways, often due to conditions like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Wheezing is caused by turbulent airflow through narrowed airways, leading to a high-pitched whistling sound during expiration. This is a characteristic finding in patients with obstructive airway diseases. Summary of other choices: B: The patient having pneumonia would typically present with symptoms like fever, cough, and consolidation on auscultation, not wheezing. C: The patient needing physiotherapy may have respiratory muscle weakness or secretion clearance issues but would not typically present with wheezing throughout lung fields. D: The presence of a hemothorax (blood in the pleural space) would manifest as decreased breath sounds and signs of respiratory distress but not wheezing.