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A patient is brought to the ED by ambulance after a motor vehicle accident in which the patient received blunt trauma to the chest. The patient is in acute respiratory failure, is intubated, and is transferred to the ICU. What parameters of care should the nurse monitor most closely? Select all that apply.
- A. Coping
- B. Level of consciousness
- C. Oral intake
- D. Arterial blood gases
- E. Vital signs
Correct Answer: B,D,E
Rationale: Patients are usually treated in the ICU. The nurse assesses the patients respiratory status by monitoring the level of responsiveness, ABGs, pulse oximetry, and vital signs. Oral intake and coping are not immediate priorities during the acute stage of treatment, but would become more important later during recovery.
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The nurse is caring for a patient who is scheduled for a lobectomy for a diagnosis of lung cancer. While assisting with a subclavian vein central line insertion, the nurse notes the clients oxygen saturation rapidly dropping. The patient complains of shortness of breath and becomes tachypneic. The nurse suspects a pneumothorax has developed. Further assessment findings supporting the presence of a pneumothorax include what?
- A. Diminished or absent breath sounds on the affected side
- B. Paradoxical chest wall movement with respirations
- C. Sudden loss of consciousness
- D. Muffled heart sounds
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: In the case of a simple pneumothorax, auscultating the breath sounds will reveal absent or diminished breath sounds on the affected side. Paradoxical chest wall movements occur in flail chest conditions. Sudden loss of consciousness does not typically occur. Muffled or distant heart sounds occur in pericardial tamponade.
The nurse is reviewing the electronic health record of a patient with an empyema. What health problem in the patients history is most likely to have caused the empyema?
- A. Smoking
- B. Asbestosis
- C. Pneumonia
- D. Lung cancer
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Most empyemas occur as complications of bacterial pneumonia or lung abscess. Cancer, smoking, and asbestosis are not noted to be common causes.
A gerontologic nurse is teaching a group of medical nurses about the high incidence and mortality of pneumonia in older adults. What is a contributing factor to this that the nurse should describe?
- A. Older adults have less compliant lung tissue than younger adults
- B. Older adults are not normally candidates for pneumococcal vaccination
- C. Older adults often lack the classic signs and symptoms of pneumonia
- D. Older adults often cannot tolerate the most common antibiotics used to treat pneumonia
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The diagnosis of pneumonia may be missed because the classic symptoms of cough, chest pain, sputum production, and fever may be absent or masked in older adult patients. Mortality from pneumonia in the elderly is not a result of limited antibiotic options or lower lung compliance. The pneumococcal vaccine is appropriate for older adults.
A patient presents to the ED stating she was in a boating accident about 3 hours ago. Now the patient has complaints of headache, fatigue, and the feeling that he just cant breathe enough. The nurse notes that the patient is restless and tachycardic with an elevated blood pressure. This patient may be in the early stages of what respiratory problem?
- A. Pneumoconiosis
- B. Pleural effusion
- C. Acute respiratory failure
- D. Pneumonia
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Early signs of acute respiratory failure are those associated with impaired oxygenation and may include restlessness, fatigue, headache, dyspnea, air hunger, tachycardia, and increased blood pressure. As the hypoxemia progresses, more obvious signs may be present, including confusion, lethargy, tachycardia, tachypnea, central cyanosis, diaphoresis, and, finally, respiratory arrest. Pneumonia is infectious and would not result from trauma. Pneumoconiosis results from exposure to occupational toxins. A pleural effusion does not cause this constellation of symptoms.
The nurse at a long-term care facility is assessing each of the residents. Which resident most likely faces the greatest risk for aspiration?
- A. A resident who suffered a severe stroke several weeks ago
- B. A resident with mid-stage Alzheimers disease
- C. A 92-year-old resident who needs extensive help with ADLs
- D. A resident with severe and deforming rheumatoid arthritis
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Aspiration may occur if the patient cannot adequately coordinate protective glottic, laryngeal, and cough reflexes. These reflexes are often affected by stroke. A patient with mid-stage Alzheimers disease does not likely have the voluntary muscle problems that occur later in the disease. Clients that need help with ADLs or have severe arthritis should not have difficulty swallowing unless it exists secondary to another problem.