ATI LPN
Questions for the Respiratory System Questions
Question 1 of 5
The nurse anticipates using postural drainage as a treatment modality for which of the following conditions?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Cystic fibrosis (CF) uses postural drainage (C), per document (3). Thick mucus (CFTR defect) needs percussion (50 mL/day cleared), improving V/Q. Epiglottitis (A) risks airway closure drainage contraindicated. Aspiration (B) needs removal, not drainage. BPD (D) uses it less. C's mucus burden FEVâ‚ <60% makes it key, unlike A's swelling.
Question 2 of 5
A 7-year-old client is brought to the E.R. He's tachypneic and afebrile and has a respiratory rate of 36 breaths/minute and a nonproductive cough. He recently had a cold. From his history, the client may have which of the following?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Acute asthma fits this 7-year-old's presentation: tachypnea (36 breaths/minute, above normal 18-30), nonproductive cough, and recent cold viral triggers often precipitate asthma exacerbations in children. Bronchial pneumonia (B) typically includes fever and productive cough, absent here. COPD (C) and emphysema (D) are adult chronic conditions from long-term damage (e.g., smoking), unlikely at this age. Asthma's reversible bronchoconstriction causes rapid breathing and dry cough, especially post-infection, aligning with history and symptoms. No fever rules out infection-driven pneumonia, and youth excludes degenerative lung diseases. This diagnosis guides urgent bronchodilator use, critical in pediatric ER settings to reverse airflow obstruction and prevent escalation.
Question 3 of 5
A client beginning medication therapy with montelukast (Singulair) asks the nurse how the medication is helping the symptoms. Which is the nurse's best response?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Montelukast (Singulair), a leukotriene modifier, decreases inflammation and mucus secretion (A) by blocking leukotrienes mediators of asthma's bronchoconstriction and mucosal swelling. This reduces airway obstruction, easing symptoms. Increasing mucus (B) worsens blockage; bronchodilation isn't its role beta-agonists do that. It doesn't stop smooth muscle contraction via nerves (C) or shield from allergens (D) it mitigates their effects post-exposure. This anti-inflammatory action, distinct from rescue inhalers, suits maintenance therapy, critical for patient understanding of its preventive role, a nursing priority to ensure adherence and clarify its place in asthma management.
Question 4 of 5
A client with acute asthma is prescribed short-term corticosteroid therapy. What is the rationale for the use of steroids in clients with asthma?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Corticosteroids (C) in acute asthma reduce inflammation, decreasing bronchial edema and mucus that obstruct airflow an anti-inflammatory effect critical for reversing exacerbation severity. They don't bronchodilate (A) beta-agonists do that or act as expectorants (B) to clear mucus; they lessen its production. Infection prevention (D) isn't their role; they may increase risk long-term. Short-term use (e.g., prednisone) complements bronchodilators, targeting inflammation's root, not just symptoms, key in nursing rationale to explain their delayed but essential action in restoring airway patency and preventing relapse.
Question 5 of 5
A 49-year-old man has had increasing dyspnea for the past 4 years. He has an occasional cough with minimal sputum production. On physical examination, his lungs are hyperresonant with expiratory wheezes. Pulmonary function tests show increased total lung capacity (TLC) with slightly increased FVC and decreased FEV1 and FEV1/FVC ratio. Arterial blood gas measurement shows pH of 7.35; Po2, 65 mm Hg; and Pco2, 50 mm Hg. Which of the following disease processes should most often be suspected as a cause of these findings?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Centrilobular emphysema (A) matches this obstructive pattern . Smoking (implied) destroys respiratory bronchioles , increasing TLC (air trapping) and dropping FEV1/FVC (<70%). Hypoxemia (Po2 65) fits pink puffer' . Embolism (B) spares airways. Alveolar damage (C) is acute. Asthma (D) is episodic. A's chronicity unlike D's reversibility explains findings, per document.