Pediatric Respiratory questions exam ( With
correct verified answers and rationales ) 100%
Verified / Already graded A+/ Guaranteed pass
The pediatric nurse is reviewing anatomy and physiology in order to have a better
understanding of the pediatric respiratory system. The nurse is aware that fluid in the chest
cavity can be normal. Which application of this knowledge is correct?
1. Pleural fluid is abundant at birth and decreases over the lifetime.
2. Only enough fluid is present to promote painless movement.
3. Fluid will accumulate in the plural cavity from immobility.
4. Infections such as pneumonia cause fluid in the plural cavity. - ANSWER ANS: 2
This is correct. There are two pleural membranes: one around the lungs and one covering the
inside of the pleural cavity. The two pleural membranes are normally separated by only enough
fluid to lubricate the surfaces for painless movement.
Fluid is not abundant in the plural cavity at birth; fluid is in the lungs at birth. It is suctioned in
order to promote normal respirations. Normal fluid in the pleural cavity does not decrease over
the lifetime.
Fluid can accumulate in the lungs as a result of immobility.
Pneumonia is an infection that causes fluid to build up in the lungs.
The nurse in the newborn unit of a pediatric hospital is providing care for a neonate born at 34
weeks' gestation. The nurse is aware that the immediate risk to the neonate is which condition?
1. A lack of a phospholipid in the alveoli
2. Inability to maintain body temperature
3. Delay in closure of cardiac foramen
4. A decrease in renal function - ANSWER ANS: 1
This is correct. The nurse's immediate concern is related to respiratory function. A premature
neonate is likely to have a low level of surfactant, which is a phospholipid in the alveoli that
keeps alveoli pliable, preventing them from collapsing completely at the end of each expiration.
,phospholipid in the alveoli that keeps alveoli pliable, preventing them from collapsing
completely at the end of each expiration. Neonates at any level of maturity can have delays in
the closure of cardiac foramen. The immediate risk for a premature neonate is the ability to
provide adequate oxygenation. A decrease in renal function in a premature neonate can be
related to poor oxygenation because of compromised respiratory function.
3. The nurse is providing care for an infant who is 2 months old. Which assessment finding will
cause the nurse to suspect an upper respiratory infection?
1. A raspy cry and occasional cough
2. Adventitious lung sounds bilaterally
3. A stuffy nose and reddened eardrums
4. A fever, lethargy, and skin pallor - ANSWER ANS: 3
The upper respiratory tract is a passageway that includes the nasopharynx and oropharynx and
is connected to the ears by the eustachian tubes. Because of the stuffy nose and reddened
eardrums, the nurse suspects an upper respiratory infection. The lungs are part of the lower
respiratory system due to the presence of the terminal bronchioles, which end in sacs called
alveoli. This finding is indicative of a lower respiratory infection.
A raspy cry results from inflammation of the larynx; however, an occasional cough is more
indicative of trachea irritation. The manifestations do not necessarily indicate an upper
respiratory infection because structures of both the upper and lower respiratory tract are
involved.
Fever, lethargy, and pallor can be seen in either an upper or lower respiratory infection.
The nurse is providing care for a school-age patient who received a head injury while playing
sports. Which initial assessment finding causes the nurse greatest concern?
1. Confusion and disorientation
2. Headache with periods of nausea
3. Immediate loss of consciousness
4. Changes in breathing and heart rates - ANSWER ANS 4
,Normal breathing is involuntary; the central nervous system controls rate and volume of
respiration. Adjustments are made in respiration rate, heart rate, and cardiac output to maintain
adequate gas exchange. The finding will alert the nurse to either hypoxia in the brain or injury to
the part of the brain that controls respiratory function. The scenario does not specify an
increase or decrease in the rates.
Confusion and disorientation are common manifestations of a head injury. This finding does not
cause the greatest concern for the nurse.
Headache and periods of nausea are not uncommon after a head injury. While initially this
finding does not cause the nurse greatest concern, frequent reassessment is necessary to
identify manifestations of increasing intracranial pressure.
Immediate loss of consciousness at the time of a head injury is not uncommon. However, the
nurse will continue to monitor for manifestations of increasing intracranial pressure.
The pediatric nurse is preparing a teaching plan for new mothers with small infants. Which is a
key point for the nurse to include in the teaching plan?
1. Infants are obligatory mouth breathers for the first month.
2. All sinuses are formed and aerating within 2 months of birth.
3. Infants are abdominal breathers until they are 12 months old.
4. Infant airways get blocked more easily than those in older children. - ANSWER ANS 4
Newborn airways are approximately 4 mm in diameter compared with 20 mm for the average
adult's airway. Inflammation 1 mm in circumference would decrease a child's airway diameter
50% but only 20% for an adult.
Newborns are obligatory nose breathers until 4 weeks of age, which is the reason newborns
with upper respiratory infections have difficulty with feeding from the breast or bottle.
Only ethmoid and maxillary sinuses are present at birth and are not aerated until 4 months.
Sphenoid and frontal sinuses develop later in childhood and continue to mature into
adolescence.
The infant's intercostal muscles are not fully developed, and pronounced abdominal wall
movement with respiration is normal until 6 years of age.
, A toddler who is 2 years old is playing in the playroom at the hospital and suddenly begins to
choke and cough. The nurse attending the toddler places the child in which position to dislodge
a possibly inhaled object?
1. Head down and on the left side
2. Head down and on the right side
3. Head horizontal to the floor and supine
4. Head in a neutral position and prone - ANSWER ANS 2
In children, the bifurcation of the right and left bronchi occurs higher in the airway, and the right
bronchus enters the lung at a steeper angle than does the bronchi of an adult. Placing the child
head down and on the right side will help to dislodge the object.
The right bronchus is more likely to be blocked because of its steep angle into the lungs; turning
the child to the left will impede the removal of the object.
The object needs to move up and out of the bronchus; it cannot do that lying flat or horizontal.
Lying prone and in a neutral position will not enable the object to be coughed up and out.
The nurse in a pediatric clinic is assessing an infant who is 3 months old during a well-baby visit.
Which assessment finding will be of greatest concern to the nurse?
1. The infant mouth breathes when crying.
2. The infant's eardrums are pink in color.
3. The infant exhibits 15-second periods of apnea.
4. The infant's respiratory rate is fast and irregular. - ANSWER ANS 3
This is correct. Periods of apnea (the absence of respiration) that last up to 15 seconds are
typical of newborns; however, at 3 months of age this patient is considered an infant. The
finding is not expected and causes the nurse concern.
Newborns are obligatory nose breathers until 4 weeks of age. It is not unexpected or of concern
for a 3-month-old infant to take mouth breaths when crying.
The nurse will perform further assessment to determine if the infant is exhibiting signs of a mild
ear infection. This finding is of concern, but periods of apnea are of greatest concern.
correct verified answers and rationales ) 100%
Verified / Already graded A+/ Guaranteed pass
The pediatric nurse is reviewing anatomy and physiology in order to have a better
understanding of the pediatric respiratory system. The nurse is aware that fluid in the chest
cavity can be normal. Which application of this knowledge is correct?
1. Pleural fluid is abundant at birth and decreases over the lifetime.
2. Only enough fluid is present to promote painless movement.
3. Fluid will accumulate in the plural cavity from immobility.
4. Infections such as pneumonia cause fluid in the plural cavity. - ANSWER ANS: 2
This is correct. There are two pleural membranes: one around the lungs and one covering the
inside of the pleural cavity. The two pleural membranes are normally separated by only enough
fluid to lubricate the surfaces for painless movement.
Fluid is not abundant in the plural cavity at birth; fluid is in the lungs at birth. It is suctioned in
order to promote normal respirations. Normal fluid in the pleural cavity does not decrease over
the lifetime.
Fluid can accumulate in the lungs as a result of immobility.
Pneumonia is an infection that causes fluid to build up in the lungs.
The nurse in the newborn unit of a pediatric hospital is providing care for a neonate born at 34
weeks' gestation. The nurse is aware that the immediate risk to the neonate is which condition?
1. A lack of a phospholipid in the alveoli
2. Inability to maintain body temperature
3. Delay in closure of cardiac foramen
4. A decrease in renal function - ANSWER ANS: 1
This is correct. The nurse's immediate concern is related to respiratory function. A premature
neonate is likely to have a low level of surfactant, which is a phospholipid in the alveoli that
keeps alveoli pliable, preventing them from collapsing completely at the end of each expiration.
,phospholipid in the alveoli that keeps alveoli pliable, preventing them from collapsing
completely at the end of each expiration. Neonates at any level of maturity can have delays in
the closure of cardiac foramen. The immediate risk for a premature neonate is the ability to
provide adequate oxygenation. A decrease in renal function in a premature neonate can be
related to poor oxygenation because of compromised respiratory function.
3. The nurse is providing care for an infant who is 2 months old. Which assessment finding will
cause the nurse to suspect an upper respiratory infection?
1. A raspy cry and occasional cough
2. Adventitious lung sounds bilaterally
3. A stuffy nose and reddened eardrums
4. A fever, lethargy, and skin pallor - ANSWER ANS: 3
The upper respiratory tract is a passageway that includes the nasopharynx and oropharynx and
is connected to the ears by the eustachian tubes. Because of the stuffy nose and reddened
eardrums, the nurse suspects an upper respiratory infection. The lungs are part of the lower
respiratory system due to the presence of the terminal bronchioles, which end in sacs called
alveoli. This finding is indicative of a lower respiratory infection.
A raspy cry results from inflammation of the larynx; however, an occasional cough is more
indicative of trachea irritation. The manifestations do not necessarily indicate an upper
respiratory infection because structures of both the upper and lower respiratory tract are
involved.
Fever, lethargy, and pallor can be seen in either an upper or lower respiratory infection.
The nurse is providing care for a school-age patient who received a head injury while playing
sports. Which initial assessment finding causes the nurse greatest concern?
1. Confusion and disorientation
2. Headache with periods of nausea
3. Immediate loss of consciousness
4. Changes in breathing and heart rates - ANSWER ANS 4
,Normal breathing is involuntary; the central nervous system controls rate and volume of
respiration. Adjustments are made in respiration rate, heart rate, and cardiac output to maintain
adequate gas exchange. The finding will alert the nurse to either hypoxia in the brain or injury to
the part of the brain that controls respiratory function. The scenario does not specify an
increase or decrease in the rates.
Confusion and disorientation are common manifestations of a head injury. This finding does not
cause the greatest concern for the nurse.
Headache and periods of nausea are not uncommon after a head injury. While initially this
finding does not cause the nurse greatest concern, frequent reassessment is necessary to
identify manifestations of increasing intracranial pressure.
Immediate loss of consciousness at the time of a head injury is not uncommon. However, the
nurse will continue to monitor for manifestations of increasing intracranial pressure.
The pediatric nurse is preparing a teaching plan for new mothers with small infants. Which is a
key point for the nurse to include in the teaching plan?
1. Infants are obligatory mouth breathers for the first month.
2. All sinuses are formed and aerating within 2 months of birth.
3. Infants are abdominal breathers until they are 12 months old.
4. Infant airways get blocked more easily than those in older children. - ANSWER ANS 4
Newborn airways are approximately 4 mm in diameter compared with 20 mm for the average
adult's airway. Inflammation 1 mm in circumference would decrease a child's airway diameter
50% but only 20% for an adult.
Newborns are obligatory nose breathers until 4 weeks of age, which is the reason newborns
with upper respiratory infections have difficulty with feeding from the breast or bottle.
Only ethmoid and maxillary sinuses are present at birth and are not aerated until 4 months.
Sphenoid and frontal sinuses develop later in childhood and continue to mature into
adolescence.
The infant's intercostal muscles are not fully developed, and pronounced abdominal wall
movement with respiration is normal until 6 years of age.
, A toddler who is 2 years old is playing in the playroom at the hospital and suddenly begins to
choke and cough. The nurse attending the toddler places the child in which position to dislodge
a possibly inhaled object?
1. Head down and on the left side
2. Head down and on the right side
3. Head horizontal to the floor and supine
4. Head in a neutral position and prone - ANSWER ANS 2
In children, the bifurcation of the right and left bronchi occurs higher in the airway, and the right
bronchus enters the lung at a steeper angle than does the bronchi of an adult. Placing the child
head down and on the right side will help to dislodge the object.
The right bronchus is more likely to be blocked because of its steep angle into the lungs; turning
the child to the left will impede the removal of the object.
The object needs to move up and out of the bronchus; it cannot do that lying flat or horizontal.
Lying prone and in a neutral position will not enable the object to be coughed up and out.
The nurse in a pediatric clinic is assessing an infant who is 3 months old during a well-baby visit.
Which assessment finding will be of greatest concern to the nurse?
1. The infant mouth breathes when crying.
2. The infant's eardrums are pink in color.
3. The infant exhibits 15-second periods of apnea.
4. The infant's respiratory rate is fast and irregular. - ANSWER ANS 3
This is correct. Periods of apnea (the absence of respiration) that last up to 15 seconds are
typical of newborns; however, at 3 months of age this patient is considered an infant. The
finding is not expected and causes the nurse concern.
Newborns are obligatory nose breathers until 4 weeks of age. It is not unexpected or of concern
for a 3-month-old infant to take mouth breaths when crying.
The nurse will perform further assessment to determine if the infant is exhibiting signs of a mild
ear infection. This finding is of concern, but periods of apnea are of greatest concern.
