The nurse is caring for a 46-year-old patient recently diagnosed with the early stages of lung cancer. The nurse is aware that the preferred method of treating patients with nonsmall cell tumors is what?

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: For early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), surgical resection is the preferred treatment when tumors are localized, there's no metastasis, and the patient has adequate cardiopulmonary reserve. This approach e.g., lobectomy offers the best chance for cure by physically removing the malignancy, leveraging NSCLC's slower growth compared to small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Chemotherapy and radiation are adjuncts or alternatives when surgery isn't feasible (e.g., advanced disease, poor surgical candidacy), targeting systemic or residual cancer. Bronchoscopy relieves airway obstruction but doesn't treat the tumor itself. The nurse's awareness of surgery's primacy informs patient education on procedure risks (e.g., infection, pneumothorax), recovery (e.g., pain management), and prognosis, aligning with guidelines like those from the American Cancer Society for optimizing outcomes in early NSCLC.

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: In bronchiectasis, clubbing of the fingers is a likely finding for documentation, resulting from chronic hypoxia as dilated bronchi impair gas exchange. This physical sign widened, rounded fingertips reflects prolonged respiratory insufficiency from copious sputum and recurrent infections, common in this condition. Sudden pleuritic chest pain suggests pulmonary embolism or pleurisy, not bronchiectasis's chronic course. Wheezes indicate bronchospasm, typical in asthma, not the wet cough of bronchiectasis. Increased A-P diameter (barrel chest) occurs in COPD's emphysema, not bronchiectasis's bronchial dilation. The nurse's note on clubbing observed via inspection captures a key clinical feature, aiding diagnosis tracking and care planning (e.g., oxygen needs) for this irreversible airway disease.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: In bronchiectasis care, the nurse prioritizes the patient successfully mobilizing pulmonary secretions, addressing the disease's core issue chronic bronchial dilation trapping thick, purulent mucus. Effective clearance via chest physiotherapy or postural drainage reduces infection risk, obstruction, and dyspnea, improving ventilation and quality of life in this irreversible condition. Maintaining 98% oxygen saturation is unrealistic 90-94% often suffices in chronic lung disease and not the primary focus. Reducing pulmonary blood pressure isn't a bronchiectasis hallmark; it's more relevant in cor pulmonale or pulmonary hypertension. Resuming prediagnosis function in 72 hours is unfeasible given bronchiectasis's permanence. The nurse's goal of secretion mobilization tracked by sputum volume drives symptom relief, aligning with evidence-based management.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: Moderate sedation, or conscious sedation, is used for procedures like colonoscopies, inducing a depressed level of consciousness where patients remain responsive but relaxed, reducing anxiety and discomfort without full anesthesia. It's not tied to outpatient status many outpatient procedures use local or no sedation. Loss of sensation requires regional anesthesia, like a nerve block, not moderate sedation, which preserves sensation. Immobility is achieved with general anesthesia, not this lighter state where patients can still move. This sedation level allows quick recovery, ideal for ambulatory settings, while maintaining airway control. The nurse's understanding ensures proper monitoring for oversedation risks, aligning with safe administration to achieve the intended conscious yet calm state during the procedure.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: Performing hand hygiene first prevents microbial transmission, a foundational step before any patient contact or device use like the incentive spirometer. This reduces infection risk, critical post-surgery when immunity may be compromised. Positioning in reverse Trendelenburg or high Fowler's follows, aiding lung expansion, but hygiene precedes to ensure safety. Explaining the mouthpiece and instructing slow inhalation are teaching steps, done after hands are clean to avoid contamination. The nurse's adherence to this sequence hygiene first upholds asepsis, setting the stage for effective spirometry to prevent atelectasis, aligning with infection control and respiratory care standards.