ATI LPN
NCLEX PN Questions Respiratory System Questions
Question 1 of 5
If treatment for acute epiglottitis is effective, what should the nurse expect to record about the child?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Clear bilateral breath sounds (D) show effective epiglottitis treatment, per document (4). Antibiotics (e.g., ceftriaxone) and steroids resolve swelling (e.g., 24-48 hr), restoring airflow (RR <30). Pale lips (A) or tripod (B) persist pre-treatment. Tachypnea (C) lingers if unresolved. D's clarity normal vesicular sounds confirms recovery, unlike A's hypoxia sign.
Question 2 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 3 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 4 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.
Question 5 of 5
A study is conducted of individuals who smoked at least one pack of cigarettes per day for 30 years. These individuals undergo pulmonary function testing, and a large subset is found to have decreased FEV1, normal to decreased FVC, and FEV1/FVC ratio less than 70%. Autopsy data from the subset of individuals in the study with a low FEV1/FVC ratio are analyzed. Which of the following respiratory tract structures in the lungs is likely to be affected most by underlying disease?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Respiratory bronchiole (D) is most affected in centriacinar emphysema from smoking (Page 28, Ans: D). Long-term tobacco (30 pack-years) damages central acinus, dilating respiratory bronchioles via elastase , reducing FEV1/FVC (<70%). Alveolar ducts (A) and sacs (B) are spared; bronchi (C) resist with cartilage. Autopsy shows upper-lobe destruction 50% loss contrasting panacinar's lobule-wide effect. D's centrality in airflow obstruction distinguishes it from A's distal role, per pathology.