1|Page
NU 518 – Advanced Nursing Practice,
Respiratory Assessment, Physical Examination
& Evidence-Based Practice
When performing a respiratory assessment on a patient, the nurse
notices a costal angle of approximately 90 degrees. This
characteristic is:
a Observed in patients with kyphosis.
B Indicative of pectus excavatum.
C A normal finding in a healthy adult.
D An expected finding in a patient with a barrel chest.
.....answer. ... C
When assessing a patient’s lungs, the nurse recalls that the left
lung:
A Consists of two lobes.
B Is divided by the horizontal fissure.
C Primarily consists of an upper lobe on the posterior chest.
SH
TS
, 2|Page
D Is shorter than the right lung because of the underlying stomach.
.....answer. ... A
Which statement about the apices of the lungs is true? The apices
of the lungs:
A Are at the level of the second rib anteriorly.
B Extend 3 to 4 cm above the inner third of the clavicles.
C Are located at the sixth rib anteriorly and the eighth rib laterally.
D Rest on the diaphragm at the fifth intercostal space in the
midclavicular line
(MCL). .....answer. ... B
During an examination of the anterior thorax, the nurse is aware
that the trachea bifurcates anteriorly at the:
a Costal angle.
B Sternal angle.
C Xiphoid process.
D Suprasternal notch. .....answer. ... B
SH
TS
, 3|Page
During an assessment, the nurse knows that expected assessment
findings in the normal adult lung include the presence of:
a Adventitious sounds and limited chest expansion.
b Increased tactile fremitus and dull percussion tones.
c Muffled voice sounds and symmetric tactile fremitus.
d Absent voice sounds and hyperresonant percussion tones.
.....answer. ... C
The primary muscles of respiration include the:
A Diaphragm and intercostals.
B Sternomastoids and scaleni.
C Trapezii and rectus abdominis.
d External obliques and pectoralis major. .....answer ..... A
A 65-year-old patient with a history of heart failure comes to the
clinic with complaints of being awakened from sleep with
SH
TS
, 4|Page
shortness of breath. Which action by the nurse is most
appropriate?
A Obtaining a detailed health history of the patients allergies and a
history of
asthma
b Telling the patient to sleep on his or her right side to facilitate
ease of
respirations
c Assessing for other signs and symptoms of paroxysmal
nocturnal dyspnea
d Assuring the patient that paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea is
normal and will
probably resolve within the next week .....answer. .... C
When assessing tactile fremitus, the nurse recalls that it is normal
to feel tactile fremitus most intensely over which location?
A Between the scapulae
B Third intercostal space, MCL
SH
C Fifth intercostal space, midaxillary line (MAL)
TS
NU 518 – Advanced Nursing Practice,
Respiratory Assessment, Physical Examination
& Evidence-Based Practice
When performing a respiratory assessment on a patient, the nurse
notices a costal angle of approximately 90 degrees. This
characteristic is:
a Observed in patients with kyphosis.
B Indicative of pectus excavatum.
C A normal finding in a healthy adult.
D An expected finding in a patient with a barrel chest.
.....answer. ... C
When assessing a patient’s lungs, the nurse recalls that the left
lung:
A Consists of two lobes.
B Is divided by the horizontal fissure.
C Primarily consists of an upper lobe on the posterior chest.
SH
TS
, 2|Page
D Is shorter than the right lung because of the underlying stomach.
.....answer. ... A
Which statement about the apices of the lungs is true? The apices
of the lungs:
A Are at the level of the second rib anteriorly.
B Extend 3 to 4 cm above the inner third of the clavicles.
C Are located at the sixth rib anteriorly and the eighth rib laterally.
D Rest on the diaphragm at the fifth intercostal space in the
midclavicular line
(MCL). .....answer. ... B
During an examination of the anterior thorax, the nurse is aware
that the trachea bifurcates anteriorly at the:
a Costal angle.
B Sternal angle.
C Xiphoid process.
D Suprasternal notch. .....answer. ... B
SH
TS
, 3|Page
During an assessment, the nurse knows that expected assessment
findings in the normal adult lung include the presence of:
a Adventitious sounds and limited chest expansion.
b Increased tactile fremitus and dull percussion tones.
c Muffled voice sounds and symmetric tactile fremitus.
d Absent voice sounds and hyperresonant percussion tones.
.....answer. ... C
The primary muscles of respiration include the:
A Diaphragm and intercostals.
B Sternomastoids and scaleni.
C Trapezii and rectus abdominis.
d External obliques and pectoralis major. .....answer ..... A
A 65-year-old patient with a history of heart failure comes to the
clinic with complaints of being awakened from sleep with
SH
TS
, 4|Page
shortness of breath. Which action by the nurse is most
appropriate?
A Obtaining a detailed health history of the patients allergies and a
history of
asthma
b Telling the patient to sleep on his or her right side to facilitate
ease of
respirations
c Assessing for other signs and symptoms of paroxysmal
nocturnal dyspnea
d Assuring the patient that paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea is
normal and will
probably resolve within the next week .....answer. .... C
When assessing tactile fremitus, the nurse recalls that it is normal
to feel tactile fremitus most intensely over which location?
A Between the scapulae
B Third intercostal space, MCL
SH
C Fifth intercostal space, midaxillary line (MAL)
TS
