Patient Assessment & Diagnosis Flashcards
7 cards from real CRE practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Patient Assessment & Diagnosis flashcards as text
A patient is being assessed for nocturnal hypoventilation. Which study is most definitive to diagnose obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS)?
Answer: Daytime ABG showing PaCO2 > 45 mmHg with BMI ≥ 30
OHS is diagnosed by daytime hypercapnia (PaCO2 > 45 mmHg) in an obese patient (BMI ≥ 30) without other explanatory cause.
On chest radiograph, which finding is most consistent with a large pleural effusion?
Answer: Opacification of the costophrenic angle with tracheal deviation away from the affected side
A large pleural effusion causes opacification and blunting of the costophrenic angle, with mass effect shifting the trachea away from the effusion.
Which finding on pulmonary function testing suggests a fixed upper airway obstruction such as tracheal stenosis?
Answer: Flattening of both the inspiratory and expiratory limbs of the flow-volume loop
Fixed upper airway obstruction produces plateau (flattening) on both the inspiratory and expiratory limbs of the flow-volume loop.
A patient with suspected pulmonary hypertension undergoes a right heart catheterization. Which mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) confirms the diagnosis?
Answer: ≥ 20 mmHg
Current guidelines (updated 2022) define pulmonary hypertension as a mean PAP ≥ 20 mmHg at rest during right heart catheterization.
When assessing a patient's breathing pattern, Kussmaul respirations are most characteristic of which condition?
Answer: Diabetic ketoacidosis
Kussmaul respirations are deep, rapid breaths driven by the body's attempt to compensate for metabolic acidosis, as seen in diabetic ketoacidosis.
Which maneuver during spirometry testing best distinguishes variable extrathoracic obstruction from variable intrathoracic obstruction?
Answer: Comparison of the inspiratory vs. expiratory limb plateau on the flow-volume loop
Variable extrathoracic obstruction flattens the inspiratory limb, while variable intrathoracic obstruction flattens the expiratory limb of the flow-volume loop.
A patient with a chronic cough has a chest CT showing central airway dilation with mucus plugging and recurrent infections. Which diagnosis is most consistent?
Answer: Bronchiectasis
Bronchiectasis is characterized by permanent dilation of bronchi with mucus retention and recurrent bacterial infections.