ATI LPN
Respiratory System Practice Questions Questions
Question 1 of 5
The nurse is caring for a pregnant woman new to the clinic. Which question will uncover whether the client has the highest risk for developing pneumonia?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Does anyone smoke in the house?' (C) identifies the highest pneumonia risk in pregnancy secondhand smoke impairs ciliary clearance, increasing infection odds (RR ≈1.5). Immunizations (A) matter, but smoking's direct effect trumps. Asthma (B) raises risk, but smoking's environmental impact is broader. Medical conditions (D) are vague versus C's specificity. The document's answer (C) aligns smoke exposure during pregnancy heightens S. pneumoniae risk, distinguishing it from A's prevention or D's generality.
Question 2 of 5
The maximum volume of air contained in the lung by a full forced inhalation is called _________.
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Total lung capacity (TLC) is the maximum air volume the lungs hold after a full forced inhalation, about 6 liters in adults, encompassing all lung volumes (tidal, inspiratory reserve, expiratory reserve, and residual). Tidal volume is normal breathing (~500 mL), not maximum. Vital capacity is maximal inhalable/exhalable air (~4.8 L), excluding residual volume, less than TLC. Ventilation rate is breaths per minute, not volume. TLC reflects lung health reduced in restrictive diseases like fibrosis measuring total potential, critical in pulmonary function tests to assess capacity and guide respiratory therapy.
Question 3 of 5
The membrane that surrounds and protects the heart is called the
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The pericardium, a double-layered sac, surrounds and protects the heart, with a fibrous outer layer anchoring it and a serous inner layer reducing friction via pericardial fluid. The pleura encase the lungs, not the heart. The myocardium is the heart's muscle layer, not a membrane. The mediastinum is the thoracic region, not a protective sac. This pericardial shield prevents overexpansion and infection, essential for heart function, a fundamental concept in cardiac anatomy, relevant in conditions like pericarditis where inflammation disrupts this protection.
Question 4 of 5
Identify the structure found in a fetus that allows blood to flow directly from the pulmonary trunk into the aorta.
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The ductus arteriosus, a fetal vessel, shunts blood from the pulmonary trunk to the aorta, bypassing nonfunctional lungs oxygen comes from the placenta. The fossa ovalis is a postnatal remnant of the foramen ovale, which shunts atrial blood. Trabeculae carneae are ventricular ridges, not shunts. This temporary conduit closes after birth (ligamentum arteriosum), redirecting blood to the lungs, a key fetal adaptation ensuring systemic oxygenation, critical in congenital defects like patent ductus arteriosus where closure fails.
Question 5 of 5
The volume of blood ejected from the left ventricle into the aorta each minute is called the
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Cardiac output (CO) is the volume of blood the left ventricle ejects into the aorta per minute, typically 5-6 liters at rest, calculated as stroke volume (blood per beat) times heart rate. 'Cardiac input' isn't a standard term venous return approximates it. Stroke volume is per beat (~70 mL), not minute. Heart rate is beats per minute, not volume. CO measures heart efficiency, key in assessing circulation and diagnosing failure where output drops, a vital metric in cardiovascular physiology and clinical monitoring.