ATI LPN
NCLEX PN Questions Respiratory System Questions
Question 1 of 5
The chamber of the heart that normally has the thickest wall is the:
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The left ventricle has the thickest wall (~1-1.5 cm), its myocardium pumping against systemic pressure (~120 mmHg), far exceeding right ventricle (~0.3-0.5 cm, ~25 mmHg pulmonary) or atria (~0.1-0.2 cm). This thickness meets workload, key in hypertrophy or failure, a fundamental adaptation in cardiac anatomy and function.
Question 2 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 3 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 4 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 5 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.