Cardiovascular and Pulmonary PT Flashcards
7 cards from real NPTE-PT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Cardiovascular and Pulmonary PT flashcards as text
A patient's chest X-ray shows a mediastinal shift toward the affected side with ipsilateral hemidiaphragm elevation. Which condition is MOST consistent with these findings?
Answer: Lobar atelectasis
Lobar atelectasis (lung collapse) pulls the mediastinum toward the collapsed lobe due to volume loss, unlike pneumothorax or effusion which push it away.
Which exercise intensity zone is RECOMMENDED for most patients in Phase II cardiac rehabilitation according to American Heart Association guidelines?
Answer: 50-80% of heart rate reserve
Phase II cardiac rehabilitation targets 50-80% of heart rate reserve (or VO2 reserve) to provide a safe and effective cardiovascular training stimulus.
A patient with pulmonary hypertension is MOST at risk for which complication during vigorous exercise?
Answer: Right heart failure and syncope
Pulmonary hypertension imposes severe afterload on the right ventricle; vigorous exercise can precipitate acute right heart failure and syncope due to inability to augment cardiac output.
Which diaphragm position finding on chest X-ray is MOST characteristic of severe emphysema?
Answer: Flattened hemidiaphragms bilaterally
Severe emphysema causes air trapping and hyperinflation, which pushes the diaphragms inferiorly and flattens their domes bilaterally on chest X-ray.
A therapist observes paradoxical inward movement of the abdomen during inspiration in a supine patient. This sign indicates dysfunction of which muscle?
Answer: Diaphragm
When the diaphragm is weak or paralyzed, it is drawn upward during inspiration by negative intrathoracic pressure, causing paradoxical inward abdominal movement.
Which of the following is the CORRECT interpretation of SpO2 = 88% in a patient with COPD on room air?
Answer: Significant hypoxemia meeting threshold criteria for supplemental oxygen therapy
SpO2 ≤88% (corresponding to PaO2 ≤55 mmHg) meets the threshold for long-term supplemental oxygen therapy in COPD per established guidelines.
During percussion of a patient's chest, the PT notes a dull sound over the right lower lobe base. This finding is MOST consistent with which condition?
Answer: Pleural effusion or consolidation
Dull percussion notes replace the normal resonance when fluid (pleural effusion) or solid tissue (consolidation, atelectasis) replaces air-filled lung tissue.