ATI RN
Practice Questions for Respiratory System Questions
Question 1 of 5
The 75-year-old patient presents to the emergency department with shortness of breath, fatigue, and a dry cough. When information leads the nurse to suspect that this patient should undergo workup for histoplasmosis?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The correct answer is B because living on a farm and raising chickens increases the risk of exposure to histoplasmosis, a fungal infection commonly found in soil contaminated with bird droppings. Raising chickens can lead to exposure to bird feces, which may contain the histoplasma fungus. The other choices (A, C, D) do not directly involve exposure to environments where the fungus is commonly found, making them less likely to lead to histoplasmosis workup.
Question 2 of 5
Which statement by a patient with newly diagnosed heart failure indicates to the nurse that the teaching was effective?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The correct answer is A because it demonstrates understanding of monitoring for fluid retention, a common issue in heart failure. Calling the clinic if weight increases by 3 pounds in a week allows for early intervention. Choice B is incorrect because taking furosemide at bedtime may disrupt sleep and increase nighttime urination. Choice C is incorrect as nitroglycerin is for acute chest pain, not a preventative measure. Choice D is incorrect because weighing weekly may not catch sudden weight changes that indicate worsening heart failure.
Question 3 of 5
Which statement is false about anatomical dead space?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The correct answer is D because Bohr's method measures physiological dead space, not anatomical dead space. Anatomical dead space is constant and not affected by N2 concentration. A: Anatomical dead space does vary with age due to changes in lung dimensions. B: Fowlers method estimates anatomical dead space by measuring tidal volume and respiratory rate. C: Anatomical dead space is not significantly large in shallow breathing as it mainly involves the conducting airways, not the alveoli.
Question 4 of 5
At high altitudes all of the following things occur in an effort to acclimatise EXCEPT
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The correct answer is A: Hypoventilation. At high altitudes, the body adapts to the decreased oxygen availability by increasing red blood cell production (polycythaemia) to enhance oxygen-carrying capacity. This is supported by the shift of the oxygen dissociation curve to the right, facilitating oxygen unloading in tissues. Additionally, increased capillaries in peripheral tissues improve oxygen delivery. However, hypoventilation, or decreased breathing rate, is not a typical response to high altitudes. In fact, the body usually compensates by increasing ventilation to maintain adequate oxygen levels.
Question 5 of 5
Nurse Ruth assessing a patient for tracheal displacement should know that the trachea will deviate toward the:
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The correct answer is D: Contralateral side in hemothorax. In a hemothorax, blood collects in the pleural cavity on one side of the chest, causing a mass effect that displaces the trachea away from the affected side towards the opposite side. This occurs due to the pressure created by the accumulated blood pushing the trachea away. In the other choices, tracheal deviation would occur towards the affected side rather than away from it. For example, in a tension pneumothorax (Choice C), air accumulates under pressure in the pleural space, causing the lung to collapse and pushing the trachea towards the affected side. Similarly, in a simple pneumothorax (Choice A), where there is air in the pleural space but not under pressure, the trachea may deviate towards the affected side. In a hemothorax (Choice B), the trachea would not deviate towards the affected side as