Honan Nursing Management: Patients With Chest and Lower Respiratory Tract Disorders

Which statement indicates a client understands teaching about the purified protein derivative (PPD) test for tuberculosis?

"Because I had a previous reaction to the test, this time I need to get a chest X-ray."

A patient who wears contact lenses is to be placed on rifampin for tuberculosis therapy. What should the nurse tell the patient?

"You should switch to wearing your glasses while taking this medication."

A patient has a Mantoux skin test prior to being placed on an immunosuppressant for the treatment of Crohn's disease. What results would the nurse determine is not significant for holding the medication?

0 to 4 mm

A nurse is assessing the injection site of a client who has received a purified protein derivative test. Which finding indicates a need for further evaluation?

15-mm induration

The nurse is educating a patient who will be started on an antituberculosis medication regimen. The patient asks the nurse, "How long will I have to be on these medications?" What should the nurse tell the patient?

6 to 12 months

Acute respiratory failure (ARF) occurs when oxygen tension (PaO2) falls to less than __________ mm Hg (hypoxemia) and carbon dioxide tension (PaCO2) rises to greater than __________ mm Hg (hypercapnia).

60; 50

A nurse is reviewing a client's X-ray. The X-ray shows an endotracheal (ET) tube placed 3/4" (2 cm) above the carina and reveals nodular lesions and patchy infiltrates in the upper lobe. Which interpretation of the X-ray is accurate?

A disease process is present.

The nurse educator is discussing aspiration with new nursing graduates. Which patient would the educator tell the nurses is at the greatest risk for aspiration?

A stroke patient with dysarthria

The ICU nurse is caring for a client who was admitted with a diagnosis of smoke inhalation. The nurse knows that this client is at increased risk for which of the following?

Acute respiratory distress syndrome

An emergency room nurse is assessing a client who is complaining of dyspnea. Which sign would indicate the presence of a pleural effusion?

Decreased chest wall excursion upon palpation

The nurse is performing discharge teaching with a patient who developed a pulmonary embolism after total knee surgery. The patient has been converted from heparin to sodium warfarin (Coumadin) anticoagulant therapy. What should the nurse tell the patient?

It is important to take the same brand of medicine.

A client is admitted to the facility with a productive cough, night sweats, and a fever. Which action is most important in the initial care plan?

Placing the client in respiratory isolation

You are caring for a client status post lung resection. When assessing your client you find that the bubbling in the water-seal chamber for the chest tubes is more than you expected. What should you check when bubbling in the water-seal chamber is excessive?

See if there are leaks in the system.

A mediastinal shift occurs in which type of chest disorder?

Tension pneumothorax

While caring for a client with a chest tube, which nursing assessment would alert the nurse to a possible complication?

The tissues give a crackling sensation when palpated.

The nurse caring for a client with tuberculosis anticipates administering which vitamin with isoniazid (INH) to prevent INH-associated peripheral neuropathy?

Vitamin B6

Which vitamin is usually administered with isoniazid (INH) to prevent INH-associated peripheral neuropathy?

Vitamin B6

During discharge teaching, a nurse is instructing a client about pneumonia. The client demonstrates his understanding of relapse when he states that he must:

continue to take antibiotics for the entire 10 days.

A client asks a nurse a question about the Mantoux test for tuberculosis. The nurse should base her response on the fact that the:

skin test doesn't differentiate between active and dormant tuberculosis infection.

A patient taking isoniazid (INH) therapy for tuberculosis demonstrates understanding when making which statement?

"It is all right if I have a grilled cheese sandwich with American cheese."

The client asks the nurse to explain the reason for a chest tube insertion in treating a pneumothorax. Which is the best response by the nurse?

"The tube will drain air from the space around the lung."

A nurse is preparing dietary recommendations for a client with a lung abscess. Which statement would be included in the plan of care?

"You must consume a diet rich in protein, such as chicken, fish, and beans."

A nurse should include what instruction for the client during postural drainage?

Change positions frequently and cough up secretions.

The nurse is collaborating with a community group to develop plans to reduce the incidence of lung cancer in the community. Which of the following would be most effective?

Classes at community centers to teach about smoking cessation strategies

Which term refers to lung tissue that has become more solid in nature as a result of a collapse of alveoli or an infectious process?

Consolidation

A client has undergone a left hemicolectomy for bowel cancer. Which activities prevent the occurrence of postoperative pneumonia in this client?

Coughing, breathing deeply, frequent repositioning, and using an incentive spirometer

The nurse assigned to a patient with possible pulmonary edema assesses the patient's lungs. Using auscultation, she identifies a characteristic breath sound diagnostic of pulmonary edema. Which of the following describes that breath sound?

Crackles in the lung bases

The nurse is auscultating the patient's lung sounds to determine the presence of pulmonary edema. What adventitious lung sounds are significant for pulmonary edema?

Crackles in the lung bases

A patient is diagnosed with hypoxemic hypoxia. The nurse knows that the etiology directs medical and nursing interventions. Which of the following is the cause?

Decreased oxygen diffusion into the tissues

An elderly client is diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis. Upset and tearful, he asks the nurse how long he must be separated from his family. Which nursing diagnosis is most appropriate for this client?

Deficient knowledge (disease process and treatment regimen)

You are caring for a client who has been diagnosed with viral pneumonia. You are making a plan of care for this client. What nursing interventions would you put into the plan of care for a client with pneumonia?

Encourage increased fluid intake.

A client hospitalized with pneumonia has thick, tenacious secretions. Which intervention should the nurse include when planning this client's care?

Encouraging increased fluid intake

You are an occupational health nurse in a large ceramic manufacturing company. How would you intervene to prevent occupational lung disease in the employees of the company?

Fit all employees with protective masks.

A patient arrives in the emergency department after being involved in a motor vehicle accident. The nurse observes paradoxical chest movement when removing the patient's shirt. What does the nurse know that this finding indicates?

Flail chest

A victim of a motor vehicle accident has been brought to the emergency room. The patient is exhibiting paradoxical chest expansion and respiratory distress. Which of the following chest disorders should be suspected?

Flail chest

When caring for a client with acute respiratory failure, the nurse should expect to focus on resolving which set of problems?

Hypercapnia, hypoventilation, and hypoxemia

The client with a lower respiratory airway infection is presenting with the following symptoms: fever, chills, dry hacking cough, and wheezing. Which nursing diagnosis best supports the assessment by the nurse?

Ineffective Airway Clearance

A nurse is caring for a client who was admitted with pneumonia, has a history of falls, and has skin lesions resulting from scratching. The priority nursing diagnosis for this client should be:

Ineffective airway clearance.

A client who has just had a triple-lumen catheter placed in his right subclavian vein complains of chest pain and shortness of breath. His blood pressure is decreased from baseline and, on auscultation of his chest, the nurse notes unequal breath sounds. A chest X-ray is immediately ordered by the physician. What diagnosis should the nurse suspect?

Pneumothorax

You are caring for a client with chronic respiratory failure. What are the signs and symptoms of chronic respiratory failure?

Progressive loss of lung function associated with chronic disease

A patient comes to the clinic with fever, cough, and chest discomfort. The nurse auscultates crackles in the left lower base of the lung and suspects that the patient may have pneumonia. What does the nurse know is the most common organism that causes community-acquired pneumonia?

Streptococcus pneumoniae

The patient with a chest tube is being transported to X-ray. Which complication may occur if the chest tube is clamped during transportation?

Tension pneumothorax

A client admitted with multiple traumatic injuries receives massive fluid resuscitation. Later, the physician suspects that the client has aspirated stomach contents. The nurse knows that this client is at highest risk for:

acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

A client who works construction and has been demolishing an older building is diagnosed with pneumoconiosis. This lung inflammation is most likely caused by exposure to:

asbestos.

A nurse assesses arterial blood gas results for a patient in acute respiratory failure (ARF). Which results are consistent with this disorder?

pH 7.28, PaO2 50 mm Hg

Which is a key characteristic of pleurisy?

pain