UNDERSTANDING MEDICAL SURGICAL NURSING 6TH EDITION WILLIAMS TEST BANK
Test Bank - Understanding Medical-Surgical Nursing 6e (Williams and Hopper) 489
Chapter 31. Nursing Care of Patients With Lower Respiratory Tract
Disorders
Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
____ 1. A patient is admitted to a respiratory unit with a diagnosis of left lower lobe pneumonia. The nursing
assessment reveals the patient to be febrile and experiencing a weak, congested-sounding cough. The patient
has moist crackles throughout the lung fields. Based on the data provided, which nursing diagnosis is most
appropriate?
a. Anxiety
b. Impaired Gas Exchange
c. Ineffective Breathing Pattern
d. Ineffective Airway Clearance
____ 2. The nurse is caring for a patient with pneumonia. Which laboratory test would best help the nurse to
monitor the condition of this patient?
a. Electrolytes, serum creatinine
b. Complete blood count (CBC), urinalysis
c. Partial thromboplastin time (PTT), serum potassium
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d. White blood cell (WBC) count, arterial blood gases (ABGs)
____ 3. A patient is unable to maintain a clear airway effectively with coughing and has a respiratory rate of
22/min with coarse crackles bilaterally. Which intervention should the nurse provide first?
a. Encourage fluids.
b. Encourage bedrest.
c. Perform tracheal suctioning.
d. Assess the patients coughing technique.
____ 4. The nurse is reviewing data collected on a patient with a respiratory disorder. Which factor should the
nurse identify that places the patient at risk for lung cancer?
a. Smoking and exposure to radon gas
b. Living in a cold climate and having pets
c. Eating foods high in beta carotene and fiber
d. Living in crowded conditions and lack of sunlight
____ 5. A patient with lung cancer who is scheduled to begin a course of radiation therapy asks the nurse, How
will they know if Im cured? The nurses best response is based on which understanding of the disease process?
a. Lung cancer is never a curable disease; prolonged life is the goal.
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, UNDERSTANDING MEDICAL SURGICAL NURSING 6TH EDITION WILLIAMS TEST BANK
Test Bank - Understanding Medical-Surgical Nursing 6e (Williams and Hopper) 490
b. Eighty percent of lung cancers are curable with radiation therapy.
c. Radiation in lung cancer is most often used to increase comfort, not cure disease.
d. Radiation therapy reduces inflammation; chemotherapy is used to shrink the tumor.
____ 6. A patient with lung cancer develops pleural effusion. Which explanation by the nurse would help the
patient understand this problem?
a. Pus has developed in your alveoli that must be removed to improve your breathing.
b. You have large amounts of fluid collecting in your airways because of the lung cancer.
c. Fluid has collected in the space between your lungs and the sac surrounding your lungs.
d. Fluid in your pericardial sac places pressure on your lungs, making it difficult to breathe.
____ 7. A patient diagnosed with a pleural effusion is very dyspneic. With which procedure should the nurse
anticipate assisting?
a. Tracheostomy
b. Thoracentesis
c. Bronchoscopy
d. Pericardiocentesis
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____ 8. The nurse is providing discharge teaching for a patient with newly diagnosed asthma. What should be
included in the discharge teaching?
a. Fluid fills the tiny sacs in the lungs and makes breathing difficult.
b. Symptoms are caused by inflammation in the lining of your airways.
c. You may notice large amounts of pus-like sputum that has a foul odor.
d. The chest wall becomes stiff and air movement is restricted in individuals with asthma.
____ 9. The nurse is providing routine follow-up care for a young adult with asthma who has been on a 3-
month course of maintenance therapy. Which activity would best help the nurse to determine if the patients
treatment plan was effective?
a. Obtain an ABG analysis.
b. Determine the patients pulse oximeter reading.
c. Evaluate the patients use of an incentive spirometer.
d. Examine daily tracking records of the peak expiratory flow rate.
____ 10. A summer camp worker reports to the camp nurse with complaints of shortness of breath and audible
wheezing. Which inhaled medication should the nurse provide?
a. Albuterol (Proventil)
b. Cromolyn sodium (Intal)
NURSINGTB.COM
, UNDERSTANDING MEDICAL SURGICAL NURSING 6TH EDITION WILLIAMS TEST BANK
Test Bank - Understanding Medical-Surgical Nursing 6e (Williams and Hopper) 491
c. Triamcinolone (Azmacort)
d. Nedocromil sodium (Tilade)
____ 11. While reinforcing discharge teaching for a patient with emphysema, which patient statement indicates
that teaching was effective?
a. There are bacteria in my lungs so my body is trying to wall off the infection.
b. My disease is caused by spasm of the smooth muscles in my breathing pipes.
c. Emphysema causes swelling in the airways and an increase in mucus production.
d. Air gets trapped when damage to the air sacs makes it hard for air to move in and out.
____ 12. A patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is prescribed methylprednisolone (Solu-
Medrol). For what reason should the nurse realize that corticosteroids are used in the treatment of this health
problem?
a. Dry secretions
b. Treat infection
c. Improve the oxygen-carrying capacity of hemoglobin
d. Reduce airway inflammation
____ 13. A nurse is providing home care for a patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
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Which order should the nurse question?
a. Low-sodium diet
b. Increase activity as tolerated
c. Oxygen 4 L/min per nasal cannula
d. Tiotropium (Spiriva) inhalation once daily
____ 14. A patient prescribed theophylline for asthma has a theophylline level of 3 mcg/dL. What should the
nurse do?
a. Notify the physician.
b. Double the next dose of theophylline.
c. No action is necessary; this is a therapeutic level.
d. Hold the next dose of theophylline until further orders are given.
____ 15. The nurse enters the room of a patient who is acutely short of breath. Which action should the nurse
take first?
a. Assist the patient into Sims position.
b. Encourage use of pursed-lip breathing.
c. Ask the patient what caused the dyspnea.
NURSINGTB.COM
Test Bank - Understanding Medical-Surgical Nursing 6e (Williams and Hopper) 489
Chapter 31. Nursing Care of Patients With Lower Respiratory Tract
Disorders
Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
____ 1. A patient is admitted to a respiratory unit with a diagnosis of left lower lobe pneumonia. The nursing
assessment reveals the patient to be febrile and experiencing a weak, congested-sounding cough. The patient
has moist crackles throughout the lung fields. Based on the data provided, which nursing diagnosis is most
appropriate?
a. Anxiety
b. Impaired Gas Exchange
c. Ineffective Breathing Pattern
d. Ineffective Airway Clearance
____ 2. The nurse is caring for a patient with pneumonia. Which laboratory test would best help the nurse to
monitor the condition of this patient?
a. Electrolytes, serum creatinine
b. Complete blood count (CBC), urinalysis
c. Partial thromboplastin time (PTT), serum potassium
NURSINGTB.COM
d. White blood cell (WBC) count, arterial blood gases (ABGs)
____ 3. A patient is unable to maintain a clear airway effectively with coughing and has a respiratory rate of
22/min with coarse crackles bilaterally. Which intervention should the nurse provide first?
a. Encourage fluids.
b. Encourage bedrest.
c. Perform tracheal suctioning.
d. Assess the patients coughing technique.
____ 4. The nurse is reviewing data collected on a patient with a respiratory disorder. Which factor should the
nurse identify that places the patient at risk for lung cancer?
a. Smoking and exposure to radon gas
b. Living in a cold climate and having pets
c. Eating foods high in beta carotene and fiber
d. Living in crowded conditions and lack of sunlight
____ 5. A patient with lung cancer who is scheduled to begin a course of radiation therapy asks the nurse, How
will they know if Im cured? The nurses best response is based on which understanding of the disease process?
a. Lung cancer is never a curable disease; prolonged life is the goal.
NURSINGTB.COM
, UNDERSTANDING MEDICAL SURGICAL NURSING 6TH EDITION WILLIAMS TEST BANK
Test Bank - Understanding Medical-Surgical Nursing 6e (Williams and Hopper) 490
b. Eighty percent of lung cancers are curable with radiation therapy.
c. Radiation in lung cancer is most often used to increase comfort, not cure disease.
d. Radiation therapy reduces inflammation; chemotherapy is used to shrink the tumor.
____ 6. A patient with lung cancer develops pleural effusion. Which explanation by the nurse would help the
patient understand this problem?
a. Pus has developed in your alveoli that must be removed to improve your breathing.
b. You have large amounts of fluid collecting in your airways because of the lung cancer.
c. Fluid has collected in the space between your lungs and the sac surrounding your lungs.
d. Fluid in your pericardial sac places pressure on your lungs, making it difficult to breathe.
____ 7. A patient diagnosed with a pleural effusion is very dyspneic. With which procedure should the nurse
anticipate assisting?
a. Tracheostomy
b. Thoracentesis
c. Bronchoscopy
d. Pericardiocentesis
NURSINGTB.COM
____ 8. The nurse is providing discharge teaching for a patient with newly diagnosed asthma. What should be
included in the discharge teaching?
a. Fluid fills the tiny sacs in the lungs and makes breathing difficult.
b. Symptoms are caused by inflammation in the lining of your airways.
c. You may notice large amounts of pus-like sputum that has a foul odor.
d. The chest wall becomes stiff and air movement is restricted in individuals with asthma.
____ 9. The nurse is providing routine follow-up care for a young adult with asthma who has been on a 3-
month course of maintenance therapy. Which activity would best help the nurse to determine if the patients
treatment plan was effective?
a. Obtain an ABG analysis.
b. Determine the patients pulse oximeter reading.
c. Evaluate the patients use of an incentive spirometer.
d. Examine daily tracking records of the peak expiratory flow rate.
____ 10. A summer camp worker reports to the camp nurse with complaints of shortness of breath and audible
wheezing. Which inhaled medication should the nurse provide?
a. Albuterol (Proventil)
b. Cromolyn sodium (Intal)
NURSINGTB.COM
, UNDERSTANDING MEDICAL SURGICAL NURSING 6TH EDITION WILLIAMS TEST BANK
Test Bank - Understanding Medical-Surgical Nursing 6e (Williams and Hopper) 491
c. Triamcinolone (Azmacort)
d. Nedocromil sodium (Tilade)
____ 11. While reinforcing discharge teaching for a patient with emphysema, which patient statement indicates
that teaching was effective?
a. There are bacteria in my lungs so my body is trying to wall off the infection.
b. My disease is caused by spasm of the smooth muscles in my breathing pipes.
c. Emphysema causes swelling in the airways and an increase in mucus production.
d. Air gets trapped when damage to the air sacs makes it hard for air to move in and out.
____ 12. A patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is prescribed methylprednisolone (Solu-
Medrol). For what reason should the nurse realize that corticosteroids are used in the treatment of this health
problem?
a. Dry secretions
b. Treat infection
c. Improve the oxygen-carrying capacity of hemoglobin
d. Reduce airway inflammation
____ 13. A nurse is providing home care for a patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
NURSINGTB.COM
Which order should the nurse question?
a. Low-sodium diet
b. Increase activity as tolerated
c. Oxygen 4 L/min per nasal cannula
d. Tiotropium (Spiriva) inhalation once daily
____ 14. A patient prescribed theophylline for asthma has a theophylline level of 3 mcg/dL. What should the
nurse do?
a. Notify the physician.
b. Double the next dose of theophylline.
c. No action is necessary; this is a therapeutic level.
d. Hold the next dose of theophylline until further orders are given.
____ 15. The nurse enters the room of a patient who is acutely short of breath. Which action should the nurse
take first?
a. Assist the patient into Sims position.
b. Encourage use of pursed-lip breathing.
c. Ask the patient what caused the dyspnea.
NURSINGTB.COM
