ATI LPN
Respiratory System Practice Questions Questions
Question 1 of 5
The nurse teaches a mother how to attach a spacer to the metered-dose inhaler for a young child. How should the nurse explain the purpose of the spacer?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Spacers reduce oral yeast risk (D) by deepening medication delivery, per document (4). They aerosolize drugs (e.g., budesonide), cutting throat deposition (50% less), lowering thrush odds (10% to 2%). Intimidation (A) is minor. Shaking (B) remains needed. Upper tract focus (C) is false. D's lung targeting 80% deposition enhances efficacy, unlike C's error, per GINA.
Question 2 of 5
A 34-year-old woman with a history of asthma is admitted to the emergency department. The nurse notes that the client is dyspneic, with a respiratory rate of 35 breaths/minute, nasal flaring, and use of accessory muscles. Auscultation of the lung fields reveals greatly diminished breath sounds. Based on these findings, what action should the nurse take to initiate care of the client?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Administering ordered bronchodilators is the priority for this asthmatic client with dyspnea, rapid breathing (35 breaths/minute), nasal flaring, accessory muscle use, and diminished breath sounds signs of severe bronchoconstriction and impending respiratory failure. Bronchodilators (e.g., albuterol) rapidly relax airway smooth muscle, restoring airflow. Oxygen therapy alone (A) delays critical reversal of obstruction; reassessing later risks deterioration. ABGs and x-rays (B) are diagnostic, not immediate fixes, wasting time. Encouraging slow breathing (C) is futile without relieving the physical blockage. Diminished sounds suggest a silent chest,' an emergency requiring swift pharmacologic intervention, often with corticosteroids, to prevent hypoxia a cornerstone of acute asthma management in nursing practice.
Question 3 of 5
A 9-year-old child is admitted to the pediatric unit for treatment of cystic fibrosis. The nurse is assessing the child's respiratory status. Which of the following findings is consistent with cystic fibrosis?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Thick, sticky mucus (A) is a hallmark of cystic fibrosis (CF), a genetic disorder where defective CFTR protein causes viscous secretions, obstructing airways and fostering infections like bronchitis. This chronic cough is often productive, not nonproductive (B), though early stages may vary. Stridor (C), a high-pitched upper airway sound, suggests laryngeal issues, not CF's lower airway involvement. Unilateral breath sound loss (D) implies focal issues (e.g., pneumothorax), not CF's diffuse pattern. Thick mucus drives CF's respiratory burden recurrent infections, wheezing key in nursing assessment to guide suctioning or chest physiotherapy, distinguishing CF from asthma or acute conditions.
Question 4 of 5
The clinic nurse is providing instructions to a parent of a child with cystic fibrosis regarding the immunization schedule for the child. Which statement should the nurse make to the parent?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The nurse should state (D) that the child with cystic fibrosis (CF) needs the basic immunization series (e.g., DTaP, MMR) plus a yearly influenza vaccine. CF's thick mucus predisposes to respiratory infections, making vaccines essential flu shots reduce exacerbation risk. Altering the schedule (A) or skipping hepatitis (B) or polio (C) lacks rationale; CF doesn't contraindicate these. Full protection against communicable diseases, plus flu prevention, aligns with CF's chronic lung vulnerability, a nursing priority to educate parents on maintaining health and minimizing infection-driven complications.
Question 5 of 5
A 35-year-old woman has experienced multiple bouts of severe necrotizing pneumonia since childhood, with Haemophilus influenza, Staphylococcus aureus, pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Serratia marcescens cultured from her sputum. She now has a cough productive of large amounts of purulent sputum. On physical examination, there is a dullness to percussion with decreased breath sounds over the right mid to lower lung fields. A chest radiograph shows areas of right lower lobe consolidation. A bronchogram shows marked dilation of right lower lobe bronchi. Which of the following mechanisms is the most likely cause of her disease?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Recurrent inflammation with bronchial wall destruction (D) causes bronchiectasis here (Page 29, Ans: D). Repeated infections scar and dilate bronchi (100 mL sputum/day), per bronchogram. Congenital defects (A) are rare. Eosinophils (B) fit asthma. Carcinoma (C) masses, not dilates. D's chronic damage unlike A's static cause explains progression, per document.