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 respiratory educator reviews a patient's medication list and notes theophylline is prescribed. Which assessment finding would indicate theophylline toxicity?
Answer: Nausea, tachycardia, and tremors
Theophylline toxicity presents with nausea, vomiting, tachycardia, tremors, and in severe cases seizures due to its narrow therapeutic index.
When reviewing a patient's ventilation-perfusion (V/Q) scan results, a normal V/Q scan most effectively rules out which diagnosis?
Answer: Pulmonary embolism
A normal V/Q scan has a very high negative predictive value for ruling out pulmonary embolism.
A patient demonstrates paradoxical movement of the chest wall during inspiration. This finding is most consistent with which condition?
Answer: Flail chest
Flail chest results from multiple rib fractures creating a segment that moves inward during inspiration and outward during expiration, opposite to normal.
Which capnography waveform pattern is most consistent with bronchospasm during mechanical ventilation?
Answer: Shark-fin (upsloping) waveform with elevated plateau
Bronchospasm causes uneven CO2 elimination, producing a characteristic shark-fin or upsloping phase III on the capnogram.
In a patient with neuromuscular disease, which measurement is the most sensitive indicator of impending respiratory failure requiring ventilatory support?
Answer: Maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) less negative than -30 cmH2O
A MIP less negative than -30 cmH2O indicates significantly impaired inspiratory muscle strength and is an early predictor of respiratory failure in neuromuscular disease.
Which breath sound is produced by secretions in large central airways and may clear with coughing?
Answer: Rhonchi
Rhonchi are low-pitched, continuous sounds from secretions in large airways and characteristically improve or resolve after an effective cough.
A patient is referred for evaluation of dyspnea. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) reveals a low anaerobic threshold and reduced peak VO2. What does this pattern suggest?
Answer: Cardiovascular or deconditioning limitation
A low anaerobic threshold with reduced peak VO2 indicates inadequate oxygen delivery to muscles, characteristic of cardiovascular disease or deconditioning.