ATI LPN
Questions on the Respiratory System Questions
Question 1 of 5
Which of these viruses is responsible for causing shingles?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) causes shingles, a reactivation of latent virus from childhood chickenpox, manifesting as painful rash along nerve paths. Rubella virus causes German measles, a milder rash illness. Measles virus leads to systemic fever and rash, not nerve-specific. Variola major virus caused smallpox, eradicated, with skin lesions, not shingles' pattern. VZV's latency in dorsal root ganglia, triggered by stress or immunity decline, distinguishes it antivirals like acyclovir manage it, unlike measles or rubella's supportive care. This specificity matters for treatment and vaccination (e.g., Zostavax), highlighting VZV's unique neurotropic behavior in respiratory-origin viruses.
Question 2 of 5
The nurse is planning the interventions for a client diagnosed with pneumococcal pneumonia. Which intervention should provide the most improvement in the client's ventilation?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Adequate pain relief (D) most improves ventilation in pneumococcal pneumonia pleuritic pain (e.g., 7/10) restricts breathing, and analgesia (e.g., ibuprofen) boosts tidal volume (Vt ≈500 mL). Coughing (A) clears airways but not ventilation directly. Fluids (B) aid mucus, not air entry. Pulmonary hygiene (C) supports clearance, not primary ventilation. The document's answer (D) aligns pain relief reduces splinting, enhancing V/Q match, distinguishing it from A's secondary effect.
Question 3 of 5
The total number of alveoli present in the human lungs is estimated to be around ______.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The human lungs contain about 500 million alveoli, a figure derived from anatomical studies estimating 480-600 million across both lungs. These sacs provide a massive surface area (around 100 m²) for gas exchange, vital for oxygenating blood efficiently. One billion or 1.5 billion overestimate this such numbers exceed histological counts. Eight hundred million is closer but still high. This 500 million estimate balances lung capacity with microscopic reality, supporting respiration's demands. Understanding this scale is key in physiology and pathology, like in COPD, where alveolar loss reduces exchange capacity, affecting oxygen delivery.
Question 4 of 5
The windpipe is also called the ________.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The windpipe is the trachea, a tube of C-shaped cartilage rings extending from the larynx to the bronchi, conducting air to the lungs while filtering it with cilia and mucus. The larynx, above, houses vocal cords. Lungs are the exchange organs, not a tube. The esophagus transports food, not air. 'Trachea' is the precise term, reflecting its role as the airway's main conduit, essential for breathing, a key anatomical distinction in respiratory structure and function, critical for procedures like tracheostomy.
Question 5 of 5
Through which structure does blood pass from the right atrium to the right ventricle?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The tricuspid valve allows blood to pass from the right atrium to the right ventricle, opening during diastole and closing during systole to prevent backflow its three cusps ensure one-way flow. The bicuspid (mitral) valve serves the left side. The interventricular septum separates ventricles, not a passage. The mitral valve is left-sided, not right. Named for its three leaflets, the tricuspid's role is pivotal in right heart circulation, a fundamental valve in cardiac flow, critical in conditions like tricuspid regurgitation affecting pulmonary return.