NSG3160 Exam 3 practice questions

When performing a respiratory assessment on a patient, the nurse notices a costal angle of approximately 90 degrees. What should the nurse recognize about this finding? a. Observed in patients with kyphosis. b. Indicative of pectus excavatum. c. A normal finding in a healthy adult. d. An expected finding in a patient with a barrel chest.

When assessing a patient’s lungs, what should the nurse recall about the left lung? a. Consists of two lobes. b. Is divided by the horizontal fissure. c. Primarily consists of an upper lobe on the posterior chest. d. Is shorter than the right lung because of the underlying stomach.

During an assessment, the nurse knows that expected assessment findings in the normal adult lung include which findings? a. Adventitious sounds and limited chest expansion b. Muffled voice sounds and symmetric tactile fremitus c. Increased tactile fremitus and dull percussion tones d. Absent voice sounds and hyperresonant percussion tones

What are the primary muscles of respiration? a. Diaphragm and intercostals b. Sternomastoids and scaleni c. Trapezii and rectus abdominis d. External obliques and pectoralis major

The nurse is reviewing the technique of palpating for tactile fremitus with a new graduate. Which statement by the graduate nurse reflects a correct understanding of tactile fremitus? a. “Is caused by moisture in the alveoli.” b. “Is caused by sounds generated from the larynx.” c. “Reflects the blood flow through the pulmonary arteries.” d. “Indicates that air is present in the subcutaneous tissues.”

The nurse is observing the auscultation technique of a student nurse. What is the correct method to use when progressing from one auscultatory site on the thorax to another? a. Side-to-side comparison b. Top-to-bottom comparison c. Posterior-to-anterior comparison d. Interspace-by-interspace comparison

When auscultating the lungs of an adult patient, the nurse notes that low-pitched, soft breath sounds are heard over the posterior lower lobes, with inspiration being longer than expiration. How should the nurse interpret these findings? a. Normal sounds auscultated over the trachea. b. Bronchial breath sounds that are normal in that location. c. Vesicular breath sounds that are normal in that location. d. Bronchovesicular breath sounds that are normal in that location.

The nurse is auscultating the chest in an adult. Which technique is correct? a. Instructing the patient to take deep, rapid breaths b. Instructing the patient to breathe in and out through his or her nose c. Firmly holding the diaphragm of the stethoscope against the skin of the chest d. Lightly holding the bell of the stethoscope against the skin on the chest to avoid friction

The nurse is percussing over the lungs of a patient with pneumonia. If the patient has atelectasis, what sound will the nurse hear? a. Tympany b. Dullness c. Resonance d. Hyperresonance

When inspecting the anterior chest of an adult, the nurse should include which assessment? a. Diaphragmatic excursion b. Symmetric chest expansion c. Presence of breath sounds d. Shape and configuration of the chest wall

During an assessment of an adult, the nurse has noted unequal chest expansion and recognizes that this occurs in which situation? a. In an obese patient b. When part of the lung is obstructed or collapsed c. When bulging of the intercostal spaces is present d. When accessory muscles are used to augment respiratory effort

The nurse is listening to the breath sounds of a patient with severe asthma. Air passing through narrowed bronchioles would produce which of these adventitious sounds? a. Wheezes b. Bronchophony c. Bronchial sounds d. Whispered pectoriloquy

An adult patient with a history of allergies comes to the clinic complaining of wheezing and difficulty in breathing when working in his yard. The assessment findings include tachypnea, the use of accessory neck muscles, prolonged expiration, intercostal retractions, decreased breath sounds, and expiratory wheezes. What do these findings suggest? a. Asthma b. Atelectasis c. Lobar pneumonia d. Heart failure

The nurse is assessing the lungs of an older adult. Which of these changes are normal in the respiratory system of the older adult? a. Decrease in small airway closure occurs, leading to problems with atelectasis. b. Severe dyspnea is experienced on exertion, resulting from changes in the lungs. c. Respiratory muscle strength increases to compensate for a decreased vital capacity. d. Lungs are less elastic and distensible, which decreases their ability to collapse and recoil.

A 70-year-old patient is being seen in the clinic for severe exacerbation of his heart failure. Which of these findings is the nurse most likely to observe in this patient? a. Fever, dry nonproductive cough, and diminished breath sounds b. Rasping cough, thick mucoid sputum, wheezing, and bronchitis c. Productive cough, dyspnea, weight loss, anorexia, and tuberculosis d. Shortness of breath, orthopnea, paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea, and ankle edema