ATI LPN
NCLEX PN Questions on Respiratory System Questions
Question 1 of 5
The volume of air that can be exhaled after normal exhalation is the
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Expiratory reserve volume (ERV) is the air (~1-1.5 L) exhaled beyond normal exhalation (tidal volume, ~500 mL) with forced effort, part of vital capacity. Tidal volume is regular breathing. Residual volume (~1.2 L) stays in lungs post-maximal exhalation. Inspiratory reserve (~3 L) is extra inhaled beyond tidal. ERV reflects additional lung emptying capacity, key in pulmonary function tests, distinguishing it from residual or inspiratory volumes, critical in assessing obstructive diseases like COPD where ERV decreases due to air trapping, a vital lung volume metric.
Question 2 of 5
When taking the nursing history of a child with cystic fibrosis, what piece of information about the child's newborn period would the nurse expect the mother to report?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Meconium ileus (C) is a classic newborn sign of cystic fibrosis (CF), where thick, sticky meconium obstructs the ileum due to pancreatic enzyme deficiency up to 20% of CF cases present this way. Resuscitation (A) isn't CF-specific unless complicated. Labor duration (B, D) long or short doesn't link to CF; it's unrelated to mucus pathology. Meconium ileus, often requiring surgery, signals CF's exocrine dysfunction early, key in history-taking to confirm diagnosis and educate parents on its multisystem impact, a nursing step to connect past and present care needs.
Question 3 of 5
A 20-year-old, previously healthy man is jogging one morning when he trips and falls to the ground. He suddenly becomes markedly short of breath. On examination in the emergency room there are no breath sounds audible over the right side of the chest. A chest radiograph shows shift of the mediastinum from right to left. A chest tube is inserted on the right side, and air rushes out. Which of the following underlying disease is most likely to have produced this complication?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Distal acinar (paraseptal) emphysema (D) causes this pneumothorax . Subpleural lesions (<2 cm) rupture easily with trauma, collapsing the lung (no breath sounds, mediastinal shift). Air escape via chest tube confirms tension pneumothorax. Asthma (A) traps air but rarely ruptures. Bronchiectasis (B) yields hemoptysis, not pneumothorax . Centriacinar emphysema (C) affects smokers, not young adults, and isn't subpleural. D's localized fragility prone to rupture explains this acute event, unlike A's reversibility or B's infection focus, per pathology notes.
Question 4 of 5
A 62-year-old man is a smoker with a 10-year history of cough productive of copious mucopurulent sputum. Over the past 6 months, he has developed progressive dyspnea. Physical examination shows bilateral pedal edema and a soft but enlarged liver. A chest radiograph shows bilateral pleural effusions and a prominent right heart border. Arterial blood gas values are Po2, 60 mm Hg; Pco2, 52 mm Hg; pH, 7.30; and HCO3-, 29 mEq/L. He is intubated and placed on a ventilator, and he requires increasing amounts of oxygen. Which of the following microscopic findings is most likely to be present in the affected lungs?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Hypertrophy of bronchial submucosal glands (D) marks chronic bronchitis (Page 30, Ans: D). Smoking and cough (>3 months, 2 years) with cor pulmonale (edema, effusions) reflect mucus hypersecretion (100 mL/day). Granulomas (A) fit sarcoidosis. Carcinoma (B) masses. Fibrosis (C) is restrictive. D's histologic change unlike A's granulomas drives obstruction, per document.
Question 5 of 5
Which of the following is the role of IL-4 :
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: IL-4 drives IgE production (B) in asthma (Page 31, Ans: C corrected). TH2 cells signal B cells for IgE , not directly eosinophils (A IL-5) or mucus (C IL-13). All' (D) overstates. B's specificity unlike D's breadth is key, per document.