ATI LPN
NCLEX PN Questions on Respiratory System Questions
Question 1 of 5
Adenocarcinoma
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Adenocarcinoma tends to metastasize early and widely (D), often before diagnosis. Choice A is false; it's more common in women. Choice B is incorrect; it's most common in non-smokers (75% still smokers, less than SCC's 95%). Choice C is wrong; it's peripheral. Choice E (small lesions) is true. Page 760 details D's behavior peripheral growth spreads to pleura/lymphatics, distinguishing it over A's sex or B's smoking error.
Question 2 of 5
Which of the following infections can be diagnosed using a skin test similar to the tuberculin test?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Histoplasmosis can be diagnosed with a skin test like the tuberculin test, using histoplasmin to trigger a delayed hypersensitivity reaction in exposed individuals, indicating past or latent infection common in endemic areas like the Mississippi Valley. Cryptococcosis relies on antigen detection or culture, not skin tests, due to its yeast nature and immunocompromised host focus. Blastomycosis lacks a reliable skin test diagnosis uses microscopy or culture. Aspergillosis, an opportunistic mold infection, uses imaging and biopsy, not skin reactivity. The histoplasmosis test, though less common now due to serology's rise, parallels tuberculosis's immune-based detection, aiding epidemiology and distinguishing it from other fungal respiratory diseases.
Question 3 of 5
The nurse caring for a client with pneumonia reviews the medical administration record and order sheet. Which agent should the nurse expect to administer? (Select all that apply.)
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Oxygen (A), mucolytics, antibiotics, and bronchodilators treat pneumonia, but A is primary per the document. Oxygen corrects hypoxemia (PaOâ‚‚ <60 mmHg). Mucolytics (B) thin mucus, antibiotics (C) kill bacteria (e.g., azithromycin), and bronchodilators (D) ease breathing. Laxatives are irrelevant. A's emphasis reflects pneumonia's core issue impaired gas exchange from consolidation requires Oâ‚‚, distinguishing it as the expected first-line agent.
Question 4 of 5
___________ is located between two pleural sacs and is the central compartment of the thoracic cavity?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The mediastinum, the central thoracic compartment between the pleural sacs, houses the heart, great vessels, trachea, and esophagus, extending from the sternum to the vertebral column. The hilum is the lung's entry point for vessels and bronchi, not a compartment. Pleura are the lung linings, not a central space. The thoracic cage (ribs, sternum, spine) encases the chest, not a specific region. The mediastinum's role as a structural and functional core separating lungs while supporting vital organs makes it distinct, critical in anatomy for understanding thoracic pathology like mediastinal masses or infections affecting central structures.
Question 5 of 5
Which of the following is the function of the trachea?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The trachea filters air we breathe, lined with cilia and mucus that trap dust and microbes, preventing lung entry part of the mucociliary escalator. Gaseous exchange occurs in alveoli, not the trachea, which only conducts air. Exhalation is a lung-diaphragm action; the trachea is a passive conduit. 'All' is wrong filtering is its sole listed role. This protective function, supported by C-shaped cartilage keeping it open, ensures clean air reaches the lungs, critical for respiratory health, distinct from exchange or expulsion processes, a key anatomical distinction in airway mechanics.