COPD NCLEX Exam Questions and answers
A patient is presenting with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The patient has a chronic productive
cough with dyspnea on excretion. Arterial blood gases show a low oxygen level and high carbon dioxide
level in the blood. On assessment, the patient has cyanosis in the lips and edema in the abdomen and
legs. Based on your nursing knowledge and the patient's symptoms, you suspect the patient suffers
from what type of COPD?
A. Emphysema
B. Pneumonia
C. Chronic bronchitis
D. Pneumothorax
C. Chronic bronchitis
The key words to let you know the patient is experiencing chronic bronchitis are: cyanosis and edema in
the abdomen and legs. Remember chronic bronchitis is sometimes referred to as "blue bloaters".
A patient with emphysema may present with all of the following symptoms EXCEPT?
A. Barrel chest
B. Hyperinflation of the lungs
C. Hypoventilation
D. Hypercapnia
C. Hypoventilation
Patients with emphysema present with HYPERventilation. The body will try to compensate for the low
oxygen blood levels and will cause the patient to hyperventilate.
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patient is newly diagnosed with COPD due to chronic bronchitis. You're providing education to the
patient about this disease process. Which statement by the patient indicates they understood your
teaching about this condition?
A. "If I stop smoking, it will cure my condition."
B. "Complications from this condition can lead to pulmonary hypertension and right-sided heart failure."
C. "I'm at risk for low levels of red blood cells due to hypoxia and may require blood transfusions during
acute illnesses."
D. "My respiratory system is stimulated to breathe due to high carbon dioxide levels rather than low
oxygen levels.
B. "Complications from this condition can lead to pulmonary hypertension and right-sided heart failure."
Option A is wrong because smoking cessation will NOT cure the condition but it may slow down the
, progress of it. Option C is wrong because the patient may develop HIGH LEVELS of red blood cells due to
the body trying to compensate for hypoxia. Option D is wrong because patients with COPD are
stimulated to breathe due to LOW OXYGEN LEVELS rather than high carbon dioxide levels.
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An alarm beeps notifying you that one of your patient's oxygen saturation is reading 89%. You arrive to
the patient's room, and see the patient comfortably resting in bed watching television. The patient is
already on 2 L of oxygen via nasal cannula. The patient is admitted for COPD exacerbation. Your next
nursing action would be:
A. Continue to monitor the patient
B. Increase the patient's oxygen level to 3 L
C. Notify the doctor for further orders
D. Turn off the alarm settings
A. Continue to monitor the patient.
. This patient is not in any distress from the description provided...therefore, you would continue to
monitor the patient. Patients with COPD are stimulated to breathe due to LOW OXYGEN LEVELS rather
than high carbon dioxide levels. Therefore, it is normal for patients who have COPD to have an oxygen
saturation between 88-93%.....any higher would decrease the stimulation to breathe and they may stop
breathing. Therefore, you would not increase the oxygen level to 3 L, notify the doctor, or turn off the
alarm settings.
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You are providing teaching to a patient with chronic COPD on how to perform diaphragmatic breathing.
This technique helps do the following:
A. Increase the breathing rate to prevent hypoxemia
B. Decrease the use of the abdominal muscles
C. Encourages the use of accessory muscles to help with breathing
D. Strengthen the diaphragm
D. Strengthen the diaphragm
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A patient with severe COPD is having an episode of extreme shortness of breath and requests their
inhaler. Which type of inhaler ordered by the physician would provide the FASTEST relief for the patient
A patient is presenting with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The patient has a chronic productive
cough with dyspnea on excretion. Arterial blood gases show a low oxygen level and high carbon dioxide
level in the blood. On assessment, the patient has cyanosis in the lips and edema in the abdomen and
legs. Based on your nursing knowledge and the patient's symptoms, you suspect the patient suffers
from what type of COPD?
A. Emphysema
B. Pneumonia
C. Chronic bronchitis
D. Pneumothorax
C. Chronic bronchitis
The key words to let you know the patient is experiencing chronic bronchitis are: cyanosis and edema in
the abdomen and legs. Remember chronic bronchitis is sometimes referred to as "blue bloaters".
A patient with emphysema may present with all of the following symptoms EXCEPT?
A. Barrel chest
B. Hyperinflation of the lungs
C. Hypoventilation
D. Hypercapnia
C. Hypoventilation
Patients with emphysema present with HYPERventilation. The body will try to compensate for the low
oxygen blood levels and will cause the patient to hyperventilate.
See an expert-written answer!
patient is newly diagnosed with COPD due to chronic bronchitis. You're providing education to the
patient about this disease process. Which statement by the patient indicates they understood your
teaching about this condition?
A. "If I stop smoking, it will cure my condition."
B. "Complications from this condition can lead to pulmonary hypertension and right-sided heart failure."
C. "I'm at risk for low levels of red blood cells due to hypoxia and may require blood transfusions during
acute illnesses."
D. "My respiratory system is stimulated to breathe due to high carbon dioxide levels rather than low
oxygen levels.
B. "Complications from this condition can lead to pulmonary hypertension and right-sided heart failure."
Option A is wrong because smoking cessation will NOT cure the condition but it may slow down the
, progress of it. Option C is wrong because the patient may develop HIGH LEVELS of red blood cells due to
the body trying to compensate for hypoxia. Option D is wrong because patients with COPD are
stimulated to breathe due to LOW OXYGEN LEVELS rather than high carbon dioxide levels.
See an expert-written answer!
An alarm beeps notifying you that one of your patient's oxygen saturation is reading 89%. You arrive to
the patient's room, and see the patient comfortably resting in bed watching television. The patient is
already on 2 L of oxygen via nasal cannula. The patient is admitted for COPD exacerbation. Your next
nursing action would be:
A. Continue to monitor the patient
B. Increase the patient's oxygen level to 3 L
C. Notify the doctor for further orders
D. Turn off the alarm settings
A. Continue to monitor the patient.
. This patient is not in any distress from the description provided...therefore, you would continue to
monitor the patient. Patients with COPD are stimulated to breathe due to LOW OXYGEN LEVELS rather
than high carbon dioxide levels. Therefore, it is normal for patients who have COPD to have an oxygen
saturation between 88-93%.....any higher would decrease the stimulation to breathe and they may stop
breathing. Therefore, you would not increase the oxygen level to 3 L, notify the doctor, or turn off the
alarm settings.
See an expert-written answer!
You are providing teaching to a patient with chronic COPD on how to perform diaphragmatic breathing.
This technique helps do the following:
A. Increase the breathing rate to prevent hypoxemia
B. Decrease the use of the abdominal muscles
C. Encourages the use of accessory muscles to help with breathing
D. Strengthen the diaphragm
D. Strengthen the diaphragm
See an expert-written answer!
A patient with severe COPD is having an episode of extreme shortness of breath and requests their
inhaler. Which type of inhaler ordered by the physician would provide the FASTEST relief for the patient
