Medical-Surgical: Respiratory Conditions Flashcards
7 cards from real NCLEX practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Medical-Surgical: Respiratory Conditions flashcards as text
A nurse cares for a client with a chest tube. The water-seal chamber shows continuous bubbling. What does this indicate?
Answer: An air leak in the system
Continuous bubbling in the water-seal chamber suggests an air leak that must be located and corrected.
If a chest tube becomes disconnected from the drainage system, what is the priority action?
Answer: Submerge the end of the tube in sterile water
Placing the tube end in sterile water re-establishes a water seal and prevents air from entering the pleural space.
Which clinical sign suggests a tension pneumothorax?
Answer: Tracheal deviation away from the affected side
Increasing intrathoracic pressure pushes mediastinal structures, deviating the trachea toward the unaffected side.
A client develops sudden sharp chest pain and dyspnea after a deep-vein thrombosis. What is the nurse's first suspicion?
Answer: Pulmonary embolism
A dislodged DVT clot traveling to the lung causes sudden pleuritic pain and dyspnea, classic for pulmonary embolism.
Which position best promotes lung expansion in a client with respiratory distress?
Answer: High-Fowler's position
High-Fowler's allows maximum diaphragm descent and chest expansion, easing the work of breathing.
What should the nurse do when 'tidaling' (rising and falling with respiration) is seen in the water-seal chamber?
Answer: Recognize it as expected normal function
Tidaling reflects normal pressure changes in the pleural space with breathing and is expected.
A client with a pulmonary embolism is started on heparin. Which lab value does the nurse monitor?
Answer: Activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT)
aPTT measures the therapeutic effect of heparin to guide dosing.