QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS GRADED A+
◉ What factors can decrease respiratory rate and depth? Answer:
Aging, chest pain, opioid/sedative medications, general anesthesia,
or neurologic injury to the brainstem.
◉ What factors increase respiratory rate and depth? Answer:
Anxiety, smoking, illnesses, anemia, or high altitude.
◉ How should a nurse count respirations? Answer: Count for 30
seconds and multiply by 2 if regular; count for 1 full minute if
irregular or if rate is outside 12-20 breaths/min.
◉ What is the nursing diagnosis for patients unable to clear
secretions? Answer: Ineffective Airway Clearance.
◉ What are nursing interventions for ineffective airway clearance?
Answer: Encourage coughing, ensure hydration, use suctioning
when needed, maintain asepsis, and support positioning and
humidification.
,◉ What is the nursing diagnosis for impaired gas exchange? Answer:
Impaired Gas Exchange—an excess or deficit in oxygenation/CO2
elimination at alveolar-capillary membrane.
◉ What causes impaired gas exchange? Answer: Conditions like
pneumonia, asthma, COPD, heart failure, and pulmonary edema.
◉ What are symptoms of impaired gas exchange? Answer: Shortness
of breath, difficulty breathing, abnormal breath sounds, and changes
in blood gases.
◉ What should a nurse monitor for impaired gas exchange? Answer:
Oxygen saturation, breath sounds, patient positioning, and need for
supplemental oxygen.
◉ What is the purpose of an incentive spirometer? Answer: It
encourages deep breathing and lung expansion to prevent
atelectasis (lung collapse) and pneumonia after surgery or
immobility.
◉ Who especially benefits from using an incentive spirometer?
Answer: Patients after chest or abdominal surgery, or those with
limited mobility.
, ◉ How does an incentive spirometer work? Answer: It provides
visual feedback (like a piston or ball) to encourage slow, deep
breaths and help patients measure lung expansion.
◉ What is the normal incentive spirometer percentage range for
healthy adults (20-60 years)? Answer: Between 70% and 85%.
◉ What does a spirometer measure? Answer: It measures how much
air a person can inhale, lung capacity, and airflow speed.
◉ What is the goal of using an incentive spirometer? Answer: To
promote deep breathing, clear mucus, and prevent complications
like pneumonia.
◉ What determines cardiac output (CO)? Answer: Heart rate,
contractility, blood volume, and venous return.
◉ What happens when any of the CO factors increase? Answer:
Cardiac output and blood pressure both increase.
◉ What happens when any of the CO factors decrease? Answer:
Cardiac output and blood pressure both decrease.