TMC FINAL PAPER 2026 FULL STUDY GUIDE
◉ Which of the following factors are determinants of cardiac
output?
A. ventricular filling and heart rate
B. stroke volume and heart rate
C. stroke volume and respiratory rate
D. heart rate and tidal volume. Answer: stroke volume and heart rate
◉ The following ABG results are reported for a patient in the ED on
room air: pH 7.20; PaCO2 24 torr; PaO2 95 torr; HCO3 8 mEq/L;
SaO2 95%; BE -15 mEq/L. The respiratory therapist should
recommend
A. initiating oxygen therapy via nasal cannula at 4 L/min.
B. intubating and initiating mechanical ventilation.
C. administering sodium bicarbonate intravenously.
D. initiating non-invasive ventilation.. Answer: administering sodium
bicarbonate intravenously.
,◉ The physician asks the respiratory therapist to set ventilator
parameters that will deliver the lowest peak inspiratory pressure
possible. Which of the following inspiratory flow patterns will
enable the therapist to fulfill the physician's request?
A. Decelerating
B. Square wave
C. Constant
D. Accelerating. Answer: Decelerating
◉ An intubated patient receiving 30% oxygen has a SpO2 of 80%
and ETCO2 of 40 torr. After administration of 50% oxygen for 30
minutes, the respiratory therapist notes that the SpO2 rises to 98%
and the ETCO2 remains stable at 40 torr. The major cause of
hypoxemia in this patient is
A. hypoventilation.
B. shunt.
C. ventilation/perfusion mismatch.
D. increased deadspace.. Answer: ventilation/perfusion mismatch.
◉ A 16 year-old patient with cystic fibrosis attends public high
school. Which of the following bronchial hygiene therapies would be
most appropriate for this patient?
,A. intrapulmonary percussive ventilation
B. dornase alpha therapy
C. vibratory / oscillatory PEP
D. postural drainage and manual percussion. Answer: vibratory /
oscillatory PEP
◉ A patient reports that he has difficulty breathing while lying in a
supine position and prefers to sleep sitting in a chair. The
respiratory therapist should record this complaint in the medical
record as
A. orthopnea.
B. platypnea.
C. eupnea.
D. Kussmaul breathing.. Answer: orthopnea.
◉ A home care patient calls in the middle of the night and reports
that the oxygen supply tubing will not stay attached to her
transtracheal catheter. The flow rate to the transtracheal catheter is
set at 0.5 L/min. The patient has attempted to flush the catheter
with saline and push a cleaning rod through it without success. The
respiratory therapist should instruct the patient to
, A. tape the connection securely.
B. increase the flow to the catheter.
C. decrease the flow to the catheter.
D. switch to a nasal cannula.. Answer: switch to a nasal cannula.
◉ A patient with copious amounts of secretions has required
nasotracheal suctioning for the past 36 hours and has now
developed mild epistaxis. Which of the following should the
respiratory therapist recommend?
A. Insert a laryngeal mask airway (LMA) to facilitate suctioning.
B. Discontinue nasotracheal suctioning for 24 hours and reassess the
patient.
C. Insert a nasopharyngeal airway after bleeding has been
controlled.
D. Insert an oral endotracheal tube to allow for better airway access..
Answer: Insert a nasopharyngeal airway after bleeding has been
controlled.
◉ The most probable cause of air bronchograms and increased
density on a chest x-ray is
A. pneumonia.
B. pulmonary edema.
◉ Which of the following factors are determinants of cardiac
output?
A. ventricular filling and heart rate
B. stroke volume and heart rate
C. stroke volume and respiratory rate
D. heart rate and tidal volume. Answer: stroke volume and heart rate
◉ The following ABG results are reported for a patient in the ED on
room air: pH 7.20; PaCO2 24 torr; PaO2 95 torr; HCO3 8 mEq/L;
SaO2 95%; BE -15 mEq/L. The respiratory therapist should
recommend
A. initiating oxygen therapy via nasal cannula at 4 L/min.
B. intubating and initiating mechanical ventilation.
C. administering sodium bicarbonate intravenously.
D. initiating non-invasive ventilation.. Answer: administering sodium
bicarbonate intravenously.
,◉ The physician asks the respiratory therapist to set ventilator
parameters that will deliver the lowest peak inspiratory pressure
possible. Which of the following inspiratory flow patterns will
enable the therapist to fulfill the physician's request?
A. Decelerating
B. Square wave
C. Constant
D. Accelerating. Answer: Decelerating
◉ An intubated patient receiving 30% oxygen has a SpO2 of 80%
and ETCO2 of 40 torr. After administration of 50% oxygen for 30
minutes, the respiratory therapist notes that the SpO2 rises to 98%
and the ETCO2 remains stable at 40 torr. The major cause of
hypoxemia in this patient is
A. hypoventilation.
B. shunt.
C. ventilation/perfusion mismatch.
D. increased deadspace.. Answer: ventilation/perfusion mismatch.
◉ A 16 year-old patient with cystic fibrosis attends public high
school. Which of the following bronchial hygiene therapies would be
most appropriate for this patient?
,A. intrapulmonary percussive ventilation
B. dornase alpha therapy
C. vibratory / oscillatory PEP
D. postural drainage and manual percussion. Answer: vibratory /
oscillatory PEP
◉ A patient reports that he has difficulty breathing while lying in a
supine position and prefers to sleep sitting in a chair. The
respiratory therapist should record this complaint in the medical
record as
A. orthopnea.
B. platypnea.
C. eupnea.
D. Kussmaul breathing.. Answer: orthopnea.
◉ A home care patient calls in the middle of the night and reports
that the oxygen supply tubing will not stay attached to her
transtracheal catheter. The flow rate to the transtracheal catheter is
set at 0.5 L/min. The patient has attempted to flush the catheter
with saline and push a cleaning rod through it without success. The
respiratory therapist should instruct the patient to
, A. tape the connection securely.
B. increase the flow to the catheter.
C. decrease the flow to the catheter.
D. switch to a nasal cannula.. Answer: switch to a nasal cannula.
◉ A patient with copious amounts of secretions has required
nasotracheal suctioning for the past 36 hours and has now
developed mild epistaxis. Which of the following should the
respiratory therapist recommend?
A. Insert a laryngeal mask airway (LMA) to facilitate suctioning.
B. Discontinue nasotracheal suctioning for 24 hours and reassess the
patient.
C. Insert a nasopharyngeal airway after bleeding has been
controlled.
D. Insert an oral endotracheal tube to allow for better airway access..
Answer: Insert a nasopharyngeal airway after bleeding has been
controlled.
◉ The most probable cause of air bronchograms and increased
density on a chest x-ray is
A. pneumonia.
B. pulmonary edema.
