ATI LPN
NCLEX PN Questions Respiratory System Questions
Question 1 of 5
A client underwent a thoracentesis a few hours earlier. Which finding should the nurse report immediately to explain why dyspnea occurs?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Onset of crepitus (B) post-thoracentesis signals subcutaneous emphysema air in tissues (e.g., 50-100 mL) from pleural breach, causing dyspnea (RR >25), per document (2). Oozing (A) is minor, not dyspnea-linked. Diminished sounds (C) suggest pneumothorax, less urgent unless tension. Fever (D) is infection, not immediate. B's air trapping palpable crunch compromises breathing, distinguishing it from A's bleeding or C's collapse.
Question 2 of 5
The nose serves all the following functions EXCEPT:
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The nose warms, humidifies, and cleanses air turbinates and mucous membranes heat and moisten inhaled air, while hairs and mucus trap dust and microbes. It's a primary air passageway to the pharynx. However, it doesn't initiate the cough reflex that's triggered by irritants in the larynx, trachea, or lower airways, detected by sensory nerves (e.g., vagus), not nasal structures. Coughing expels debris from deeper airways, not the nose, which relies on sneezing or mucociliary clearance. This distinction highlights the nose's role in air conditioning and filtration, not reflex-driven expulsion, a key anatomical separation in respiratory defense mechanisms and clinical understanding of upper versus lower airway responses.
Question 3 of 5
During internal and external respiration, gases move by
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Diffusion drives gas movement in internal (blood-to-tissue) and external (alveoli-to-blood) respiration, based on partial pressure gradients Oâ‚‚ from high (alveoli, ~100 mmHg) to low (blood, ~40 mmHg), COâ‚‚ vice versa. Osmosis moves water, not gases. Active transport uses energy for ions, not Oâ‚‚/COâ‚‚, which are lipid-soluble and passive. Endocytosis involves cell engulfment, irrelevant here. Diffusion's simplicity, across thin alveolar-capillary membranes, ensures rapid exchange, a core mechanism in respiration, critical in conditions like pulmonary edema where thickened barriers slow it, affecting oxygenation.
Question 4 of 5
The nurse assesses the respiratory status of a client who is experiencing an exacerbation of COPD secondary to an upper respiratory tract infection. Which of the following findings would be expected?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Coarse crackles and rhonchi are expected in a COPD exacerbation from an upper respiratory infection. Secretions obstruct airways, producing these adventitious sounds as air moves through crackles from fluid, rhonchi from mucus. Normal breath sounds (A) are diminished in COPD due to hyperinflation and reduced airflow, not present in exacerbation. Expiration, not inspiration (B), prolongs as airways narrow. Chest movement (C) decreases with overdistended lungs, not normal. These findings reflect infection-driven mucus buildup atop chronic obstruction, key in nursing assessment to guide suctioning or bronchodilator use and monitor worsening respiratory distress.
Question 5 of 5
An oxygen delivery system is prescribed for a client with COPD to deliver a precise oxygen concentration. Which oxygen delivery system would the nurse anticipate to be prescribed?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The Venturi mask (B) delivers precise oxygen concentrations (e.g., 24-50%) via color-coded adapters, ideal for COPD clients needing controlled Oâ‚‚ to avoid suppressing their hypoxic respiratory drive unlike high-flow systems risking COâ‚‚ retention. Face tents (A) and aerosol masks (C) provide high humidity but variable Oâ‚‚, less accurate. Tracheostomy collars (D) suit surgical airways, not typical COPD needs. Venturi's precision, adjusting Oâ‚‚ with air entrainment, aligns with COPD's low-flow requirement (1-2 L/min), a nursing anticipation critical for safe oxygenation and preventing hypercapnia.