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A nurse is planning to suction a patient's tracheostomy tube the day after its placement. Which action by the nurse is absolutely essential?
- A. Assessing the need to premedicate with an analgesic
- B. Placing the patient in low Fowler position
- C. Inserting the obturator into the outer cannula
- D. Maintaining aseptic technique
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Sterile technique is used for tracheal suctioning, to reduce the risk of introduction of disease-causing organisms. Aseptic technique is imperative to avoid introducing organisms into the lower airway. An obturator, which guides the direction of the outer cannula, is inserted into the tube during placement and removed once the outer cannula of the tube is in place. In the home setting, clean technique is used.
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A patient with COPD is unable to perform personal hygiene without becoming exhausted. What nursing intervention would be appropriate for this patient?
- A. Assisting with all bathing and hygiene
- B. Telling the patient to avoid speaking during hygiene
- C. Teaching the patient to take short shallow breaths during activity
- D. Taking rest periods between activities
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: To prevent fatigue during activities including hygiene, the nurse should group (personal care) activities into smaller steps and encourage rest periods between activities. The nurse promotes and maintains dignity, independence, and strength by assisting with activities when the patient has difficulty. The nurse should encourage the patient to voice feelings and concerns about self-care deficits and teach the patient to coordinate pursed-lip or diaphragmatic breathing with the activity.
A nurse is caring for a patient who has a pleural chest tube attached to a disposable chest drainage system. Which nursing actions are indicated for this patient?
- A. Avoiding turning the patient to prevent disconnections in the tubing
- B. Maintaining an occlusive dressing on the site
- C. Assessing the patient for signs of respiratory distress
- D. Keeping the chest drainage device at the level of the patient's thorax
- E. Ensuring there are no dependent loops or kinks in the tubing
- F. Observing for bubbles indicating air leak in the water seal chamber
Correct Answer: B,C,E,F
Rationale: The chest drainage collection device must be positioned below the tube's insertion site. Maintaining an occlusive dressing helps prevent air leak; assess for crepitus around the chest tube site indicating air leak. Avoid dependent loops or kinks in the tubing, which could impede drainage. Assess for bubbling in the water seal, maintaining the water level at the 2-cm mark. When a chest tube becomes separated from the drainage device, the nurse should submerge the tube's end in water, creating a temporary water seal and allowing air to escape until a new drainage unit can be attached.
A nurse working in the pulmonary clinic is providing teaching to patients with altered oxygenation due to conditions such as asthma and COPD. Which measures would the nurse recommend?
- A. Avoid exercise.
- B. Take steps to manage or reduce anxiety.
- C. Eat meals 1 to 2 hours prior to breathing treatments.
- D. Eat a high-protein/high-calorie diet.
- E. Maintain a high-Fowler position when possible.
- F. Drink 2 to 3 pints of clear fluids daily.
Correct Answer: B,D,E
Rationale: When caring for patients with COPD, it is important to help create an environment that is likely to reduce anxiety, which increases oxygen demand. A high-protein/high-calorie diet is recommended to meet increased energy needs due to the work of breathing. People with dyspnea and orthopnea are most comfortable in a high-Fowler (upright) position because accessory muscles can easily be used to facilitate respiration and lung expansion. Meals should be eaten 1 to 2 hours after breathing treatments; exercise and drinking 2 to 3 quarts (1.9 to 2.9 L) of clear fluids daily is recommended, rather than 2 to 3 pints.
Which assessments and interventions should the nurse consider when performing tracheal suctioning?
- A. Closely assessing the patient before, during, and after the procedure
- B. Hyperoxygenating the patient before and after suctioning
- C. Limiting the application of suction to 20 to 30 seconds
- D. Monitoring the pulse to detect effects of hypoxia and stimulation of the vagus nerve
- E. Using an appropriate suction pressure (80 to 150 mm Hg)
- F. Inserting the suction catheter no further than 1 cm past the length of the tracheal or endotracheal tube
Correct Answer: A,B,D,E,F
Rationale: Close assessment of the patient before, during, and after the procedure is necessary to identify complications such as hypoxia, infection, tracheal tissue damage, dysrhythmias, and atelectasis. The nurse should hyperoxygenate the patient before and after suctioning and limit the application of suction to 10 to 20 seconds. In addition, monitor the patient's pulse frequently to detect potential effects of hypoxia and stimulation of the vagus nerve. Using an appropriate suction pressure (80 to 150 mm Hg) will help prevent atelectasis caused by excessive negative pressure. Research suggests that insertion of the suction catheter should be limited to a predetermined length (no further than 1 cm past the length of the tracheal or endotracheal tube) to avoid tracheal mucosal damage.
A nurse is monitoring a patient with a pleural effusion after a thoracentesis removing 1,400 mL of dark yellow liquid. What is the expected outcome of this procedure?
- A. Tachycardia
- B. Hypotension
- C. Reduced dyspnea
- D. Pulse oximetry of 88%
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Thoracentesis involves inserting a needle into the pleural space to aspirate pleural fluid, air, or both. A thoracentesis may be performed to obtain a specimen for diagnostic purposes, to remove fluid or air that has accumulated in the pleural cavity and is causing respiratory difficulty and discomfort, or to instill medications.