Respiratory Therapy & Intervention Techniques 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 Respiratory Therapy & Intervention Techniques flashcards as text
When using a dry powder inhaler (DPI), which patient technique error most commonly reduces drug delivery to the lungs?
Answer: Inhaling too slowly and with insufficient force
DPIs require a rapid, forceful inspiratory flow (usually >60 L/min) to de-aggregate the powder into respirable particles; slow inhalation leaves drug in the device.
A respiratory educator is teaching a patient how to perform autogenic drainage (AD). Which description best explains the technique?
Answer: Using controlled breathing at different lung volumes to mobilize mucus by varying airflow velocity
Autogenic drainage uses tidal breathing at low, middle, and high lung volumes to create shear forces that progressively loosen and move mucus centrally without coughing.
Which inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) side effect is most directly related to local oropharyngeal deposition of the drug?
Answer: Oropharyngeal candidiasis
Topical deposition of ICS in the oropharynx suppresses local immunity and promotes Candida albicans overgrowth; rinsing and spitting after use reduces this risk.
In a patient receiving volume-controlled ventilation, a sudden increase in peak airway pressure with no change in plateau pressure most likely indicates:
Answer: Increased airway resistance (e.g., bronchospasm or secretions)
A rise in peak pressure without a change in plateau pressure reflects increased resistance in the conducting airways, not a change in lung tissue compliance.
Which is the correct sequence for performing a directed (huff) cough technique?
Answer: Deep breath → 2–3-second breath hold → open glottis → forced exhalation ('huff')
The huff cough (forced expiration technique) uses a deep breath, a brief hold to distribute air, then a rapid exhalation with an open glottis to mobilize secretions while minimizing airway collapse.
A patient with neuromuscular disease has a peak cough flow (PCF) of 180 L/min. What intervention is most appropriate to assist secretion clearance?
Answer: Manually assisted cough or mechanical insufflation-exsufflation (MI-E)
A PCF below 270 L/min is ineffective for clearing secretions; MI-E (CoughAssist) augments inspiratory volume and expiratory flow in patients with weak respiratory muscles.
Which ventilator mode delivers a set tidal volume but allows the patient to breathe spontaneously between mandatory breaths without the ventilator assisting those breaths?
Answer: Synchronized Intermittent Mandatory Ventilation (SIMV)
SIMV delivers mandatory breaths at a set rate and tidal volume synchronized to the patient's effort; any additional spontaneous breaths receive no ventilator support unless PS is added.