Respiratory and Pulmonary Care Flashcards
6 cards from real CMSRN practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Respiratory and Pulmonary Care flashcards as text
A patient on mechanical ventilation develops high peak airway pressures. What is the priority nursing assessment?
Answer: Assess for kinking of the ventilator tubing or ET tube
High peak airway pressures often result from obstruction such as kinked tubing, secretions, or biting of the ET tube, which must be assessed immediately.
Which position is best for a spontaneously breathing patient with unilateral pneumonia to improve oxygenation?
Answer: Good lung down (unaffected side dependent)
Positioning the good (unaffected) lung down uses gravity to improve perfusion to the better-ventilated lung, optimizing V/Q matching.
A patient with asthma is experiencing an acute exacerbation. What is the first-line medication the nurse should administer?
Answer: Short-acting beta-2 agonist (SABA)
Short-acting beta-2 agonists (e.g., albuterol) are the first-line treatment for acute asthma exacerbations due to their rapid bronchodilating effect.
The nurse is caring for a patient with a pleural effusion. Which intervention would the nurse anticipate assisting with to relieve symptoms?
Answer: Thoracentesis to drain fluid
Thoracentesis is performed to drain fluid from the pleural space, relieving dyspnea and allowing lung re-expansion.
A patient with pulmonary embolism (PE) is being treated with heparin infusion. Which lab value requires immediate dose adjustment?
Answer: aPTT of 120 seconds (therapeutic range 60–100 seconds)
An aPTT above the therapeutic range indicates excessive anticoagulation with heparin, requiring dose reduction to prevent hemorrhagic complications.
A patient with a tracheostomy has thick, tenacious secretions. Which independent nursing intervention is most appropriate?
Answer: Increase humidification of inspired air
Increasing humidification of inspired air is an independent nursing intervention that helps thin secretions for easier clearance.