Patient Assessment Flashcards

Which breath sound, heard on auscultation, is described as a high-pitched, monophonic wheeze heard primarily on expiration and indicates upper airway obstruction?

Answer: Stridor

Stridor is a high-pitched sound caused by turbulent airflow through a partially obstructed upper airway.

You are assessing a trauma patient and notice that a segment of the chest wall moves inward during inhalation and outward during exhalation. This is called:

Answer: Paradoxical chest movement

Paradoxical chest movement occurs with flail chest, where multiple rib fractures cause a segment to move opposite to the rest of the chest wall.

Which of the following is the MOST reliable early indicator of shock in a pediatric patient?

Answer: Tachycardia

Tachycardia is the earliest and most reliable compensatory sign of shock in pediatric patients, as hypotension is a late and ominous sign.

When using the Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale, which of the following is NOT one of the three assessed components?

Answer: Pupil reactivity

The Cincinnati Stroke Scale assesses facial droop, arm drift, and speech abnormalities; pupil reactivity is not part of this tool.

A patient with a history of COPD presents with increased work of breathing, pursed-lip breathing, and barrel chest. These findings are associated with which underlying condition?

Answer: Emphysema

Barrel chest and pursed-lip breathing are classic chronic physical findings of emphysema, a component of COPD caused by air trapping.

During assessment of a patient in respiratory distress, you note tracheal deviation to the right. This MOST likely indicates:

Answer: Left-sided tension pneumothorax

A left-sided tension pneumothorax creates pressure that pushes the trachea and mediastinum toward the right.

When assessing a patient using the AVPU scale, a patient who only responds to a sternal rub would be classified as:

Answer: Pain

AVPU 'P' indicates the patient responds only to painful stimuli, such as a sternal rub or pinch.