Visual Assessment 6 Flashcards
6 cards from real COT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Visual Assessment 6 flashcards as text
During visual assessment of a patient's skin, you notice a lesion that is raised, solid, and less than 1 cm in diameter with a distinct border. This finding is best described as a:
Answer: Papule
A papule is a solid, raised lesion less than 1 cm in diameter with a well-defined border. Macules are flat, non-palpable color changes. Vesicles are fluid-filled blisters. Plaques are raised, flat-topped lesions larger than 1 cm.
When performing a visual assessment of a patient's respiratory pattern, you observe that the patient takes a deep breath, holds it briefly, then exhales, followed by a period of apnea before the cycle repeats. This breathing pattern is called:
Answer: Cheyne-Stokes respirations
Cheyne-Stokes respirations are characterized by a cyclical pattern of gradually increasing depth, a brief period of apnea, then gradual decrease — however, the pattern described here with a deep breath, hold, and apnea repeating is characteristic of Cheyne-Stokes. Biot's involves irregular depth with sudden apnea. Kussmaul is deep, labored breathing without apnea. Apneustic involves prolonged inspiratory holds.
A COT is assessing a patient's eyes and notices that the patient's sclera appears yellow. This visual finding is most associated with:
Answer: Jaundice (icterus)
Yellow discoloration of the sclera (icterus) is a hallmark sign of jaundice, caused by elevated bilirubin levels. Anemia presents with pallor. Cyanosis appears as bluish discoloration. Polycythemia may cause ruddy or reddish appearance.
During visual inspection of a patient's lower extremities, you observe pitting edema. The most appropriate next step for the COT is to:
Answer: Document the finding and report to the supervising clinician
The COT's role in visual assessment is to observe, document, and report findings to the supervising clinician. Administering medications, dismissing findings as normal, or initiating treatment without clinician direction all exceed the COT scope of practice.
You visually assess a patient and notice that one pupil is significantly larger than the other (anisocoria) and does not respond to light. This finding should be treated as:
Answer: A potential neurological emergency requiring immediate reporting
Unequal pupils with one non-reactive to light can indicate serious neurological events such as herniation, traumatic brain injury, or third cranial nerve compression. This is a medical emergency that must be reported immediately. While anisocoria can be benign, a non-reactive pupil is never a normal variant to ignore.
When visually assessing wound healing during a follow-up visit, which observation best indicates healthy granulation tissue?
Answer: Bright red, moist, beefy-looking tissue
Healthy granulation tissue appears bright red, moist, and 'beefy' due to new capillary formation and collagen production. Pale or gray tissue suggests poor perfusion. Yellow fibrinous tissue indicates slough. Black, leathery tissue is necrotic eschar — all are signs of impaired healing.