2160 Exam #2 Bates Chapter 13 – Flashcards
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Which of the following statements relating to assessment of the lungs and thorax is most accurate?
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Bronchitis is characterized by excess mucus production and chronic cough. Bronchitis is marked by a chronic, productive cough that results from excess mucus production. Hemoptysis is uncommon in younger clients. It would be simplistic to differentiate cardiac from respiratory chest pain based on severity alone. Similarly, it is inaccurate to characterize all loud percussion sounds as pathological.
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A patient in the ED tells the nurse that she is having difficulty breathing at rest. What term would the nurse use in documenting this finding?
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Dyspnea Dyspnea is a subjective term used when patients report labored breathing and breathlessness. This response to exercise or heavy activity is normal if it rapidly disappears upon return to rest. Difficulty breathing, in appropriate medical terminology, is not tachypnea, shortness of breath, or anxiety.
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Auscultation of a 23-year-old client's lungs reveals an audible wheeze. What pathological phenomenon underlies wheezing?
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Narrowing or partial obstruction of an airway passage The auditory characteristics of wheezing result from narrowing of the lumen of a respiratory passage. Fluid in the alveoli results in crackles, and complete obstruction causes an absence of breath sounds. Decreased lung compliance compromises ventilation but does not necessarily result in wheezes.
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A high-pitched crowing sound from the upper airway results from tracheal or laryngeal spasm and is called what?
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Stridor Stridor, a high-pitched crowing sound from the upper airway, results from tracheal or laryngeal spasm. In severe laryngospasm, the larynx may completely close off. This life-threatening emergency requires immediate medical assistance.
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A client has a history of emphysema. The nurse percusses the chest, expecting to find which of the following?
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Hyperresonance Hyperresonance would be noted in a client with emphysema due to air trapping. Dullness is noted with fluid or solid tissue replacing air in the lung. Resonance is the normal finding on lung percussion. Tympany would be noted over areas of air, such as a gastric bubble in the stomach.
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A patient reports sharp and stabbing chest pain that worsens with deep breathing and coughing. A cardiac cause to this pain is ruled out. The description of the pain is consistent with what respiratory condition?
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Pleurisy Pleurisy can follow inflammation of the parietal pleura. Patients usually describe such pain as sharp or stabbing, worsening with deep breathing or coughing. Pneumonia does not always cause pain on respiration nor does asthma. Rales are a breath sound, not a respiratory condition.
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What would the nurse expect to hear when auscultating the lungs of a patient with pleuritis?
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Friction rub
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A group of students is reviewing the vertical reference lines of the thorax. They demonstrate understanding when they identify which line as a reference line for the posterior thorax?
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Vertebral line
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A 21-year-old college senior presents to the clinic reporting shortness of breath and a nonproductive nocturnal cough. She states she used to feel this way only with extreme exercise, but lately she has felt this way continuously. She denies any other upper respiratory, gastrointestinal, and urinary symptoms and says she has no chest pain. Her past medical history is significant only for seasonal allergies, for which she takes a nasal steroid spray; she takes no other medications. She has had no surgeries. Her mother has allergies and eczema; her father has high blood pressure. She is an only child. She denies smoking and illegal drug use but drinks three to four alcoholic beverages per weekend. She is a junior in finance at a local university and has recently started a job as a bartender in town. On examination she is in no acute distress. Temperature is 98.6, blood pressure is 120/80, pulse is 80, and respirations are 20. Head, eyes, ears, nose, and throat examinations are essentially normal. Inspection of her anterior and posterior chest shows no abnormalities. On auscultation of her chest, there is decreased air movement and a high-pitched whistling on expiration in all lobes. Percussion reveals resonant lungs. Which disorder of the thorax or lung does this presentation best describe?
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Asthma Asthma causes shortness of breath and a nocturnal cough. It is often associated with a history of allergies and can be exacerbated by exercise or irritants such as smoke in a bar. On auscultation there can be normal to decreased air movement. Wheezing is heard on expiration and sometimes inspiration. The duration of wheezing in expiration usually correlates with the severity of illness, so it is important to document this length (e.g., wheezes heard halfway through exhalation). In severe asthma, wheezes may not be heard because of the lack of air movement. Paradoxically, these clients may have more wheezes after treatment, which actually indicates an improvement in condition. Peak flow measurements help to discern this.
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A male client comes to the clinic complaining of a persistent cough. Further questioning reveals that he was just recently diagnosed with hypertension. Which of the following would the nurse do next?
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Ask about any medications being used for hypertension.
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A client presents to the health care clinic and reports a recent onset of a persistent cough. The client denies any shortness of breath, change in activity level, or other findings of an acute upper respiratory tract illness. What question by the nurse is most appropriate to further assess the cause for the cough?
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"Are you taking any medications on a regular basis?"
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A patient appears in the clinic with a cough that began 24 hours prior to coming to this visit. The nurse evaluates the patient based on the most common cause of an acute cough, which is
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viral respiratory infection
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A young toddler is brought to the emergency room by his parents. The mother states that the child was playing on the floor with toys and suddenly began to wheeze. The mother reports no recent illnesses. The nurse suspects that the most likely cause of the wheezing is
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a foreign body obstruction
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When assessing whispered pectoriloquy, the nurse would instruct a client to do which of the following?
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Softly repeat the words "one-two-three."
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When crackles, wheezes, or rhonchi clear with a cough, which of the following is a likely etiology?
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Bronchitis
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A nurse observes a client sitting in the tripod position. What is an appropriate action by the nurse in response to this observation?
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Observe for the use of accessory muscles The tripod position is often assumed by the client with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in order to help elevate the diaphragm during inspiration. This is often accompanied by the use of accessory muscles of the neck. Crackles are present in pneumonia or fluid in the lungs. Tactile fremitus helps to assess for the presence of a consolidation such as pleural effusion or pneumonia. Diaphragmatic excursion assesses the movement of the diaphragm.
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A 26-year-old woman comes to the clinic and states, "I have a bad cold and am having trouble breathing." The nurse checks her breath sounds and hears bilateral fine crackles at the base. Of what is this finding indicative?
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Fluid in the alveoli When fluid fills the alveoli, fine crackles may be audible on auscultation. Excessive fluid in the alveoli may lead to airway collapse and decreased breath sounds. Fine crackles are not indicative of fluid in the bronchioles or bronchus or the absence of fluid in the lungs.
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A client has sustained a brainstem injury. Which of the following would the nurse need to keep in mind about this client's respiratory effort?
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There is loss of involuntary respiratory control. The brainstem contains the medulla and the pons, which control involuntary respiratory effort. The negative response to stimuli is unrelated to the client's respiratory effort. The client's breathing patterns will change according to cellular demands. The levels of carbon dioxide and oxygen in the blood also will vary based on the client's respiratory efforts as well as interventions used to sustain these efforts.
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A 17-year-old high school senior presents to the clinic in acute respiratory distress. Between shallow breaths he states he was at home finishing his homework when he suddenly began having right-sided chest pain and severe shortness of breath. He denies any recent traumas or illnesses. His past medical history is unremarkable. He doesn't smoke, but drinks several beers on the weekend. He has tried marijuana several times but denies any other illegal drugs. He is an honour student and on the basketball team. His parents are both in good health. He denies any recent weight gain, weight loss, fever, or night sweats. Examination shows a tall, thin young man in obvious distress. He is diaphoretic and breathing at a rate of 35 breaths per minute. Auscultation reveals no breath sounds on the right side of his superior chest wall. On percussion he is hyperresonant over the right upper lobe. With palpation he has absent fremitus over the right upper lobe. What disorder of the thorax or lung best describes his symptoms?
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Spontaneous pneumothorax Spontaneous pneumothorax occurs suddenly, causing severe dyspnea and chest pain on the affected side. It is more common in thin young males. On auscultation of the affected side there will be no breath sounds; on percussion there is hyperresonance or tympany. There will be an absence of fremitus to palpation. Given this young man's habitus and pneumothorax, you may consider looking for features of Marfan's syndrome.
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Which subjective finding in a client with tuberculosis should a nurse recognize as an indication of the onset of pleurisy?
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Knife-like pain that worsens on inspiration Knife-like pain that worsens on inspiration is a characteristic finding that indicates pleurisy in the client. Pleurisy or a pleural rub is caused when the inflamed pleural surface comes in contact with each other on inspiration. Dyspnea is exaggerated by activity but is not a characteristic feature. Clients with pleurisy do not have throbbing pain. Dyspnea in pleurisy is not exaggerated by lying down.
