MN 551 PATHO ACTUAL FINAL EXAMS
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔A nurse practitioner is doing the admission assessment on a patient who has been
transferred to the floor after being diagnosed by the emergency room physician with
bilateral pleural effusion. Which of the following findings from the nurse practitioner's
initial assessment of the patient is incongruent with the patient's diagnosis, and would
require further investigation? - ✔✔The patient complains of sharp pain exacerbated by
deep inspiration.
✔✔A short, nonsmoking middle-aged man presents to the emergency department with
left-sided chest pain and a cough. He says that the pain started abruptly, just after
lunch, and that breathing and coughing make it worse. He denies recent injury. He is
breathing shallowly and rapidly and expresses fear that he may be having a heart
attack. Breath sounds are normal, and he is not cyanotic. Which condition is most likely
causing his symptoms? - ✔✔Pleuritis related to infection
✔✔Which of the following situations would be most deserving of a pediatrician's
attention? - ✔✔A midwife notes that a newborn infant's chest is retracting on inspiration
and that the child is grunting.
✔✔A 21-year-old male patient has suffered a head injury during a crash on his
motorcycle, and a deficit that assessments have revealed is an impaired swallowing
mechanism. He has also developed aspiration pneumonia. Which of the following
statements most accurately capture an aspect of his condition? - ✔✔His vocal folds
have been compromised.
✔✔A 44-year-old woman developed calf pain during a transatlantic flight followed by
acute shortness of breath upon arrival at her destination. She was subsequently
diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism (PE), which resolved with anticoagulant therapy.
Which of these statements best characterizes the underlying problem of her PE? -
,✔✔She was short of breath because ventilation was occurring but perfusion was
inadequate.
✔✔As a consequence of long-standing lung disease, a patient is in a chronic state of
hypoxia. Which of the following phenomena would the patient's nurse practitioner be
most justified in anticipating? Select all that apply: - ✔✔Increased erythropoietin
production, Hyperventilation,
Personality changes
✔✔Due to complications, a male postoperative patient has been unable to mobilize for
several days following surgery and has developed atelectasis. Which of the following
processes would his care team anticipate with relation to his health problem? -
✔✔Redirection of blood flow away from the lung regions that are hypoxic
✔✔The mother of a 7-year-old boy who has recently been diagnosed with childhood
asthma has come to the education center to learn more about her son's condition.
Which of the following teaching points is most justifiable? - ✔✔"Research has shown
that viruses may actually be a factor in many children's asthma."
✔✔A 77-year-old lifetime smoker has been diagnosed with a tumor in his lung at the
site of an old tubercle scarring site, located in a peripheral area of his bronchiolar tissue.
What is this patient's most likely diagnosis? - ✔✔Adenocarcinoma
✔✔A patient who presented with shortness of breath and difficulty climbing stairs has
been diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, a disease characterized by scarring of the
alveoli. What would her care team anticipate when observing her breathing? - ✔✔Short,
shallow breaths
✔✔Which of the following patients who presented to a walk-in medical clinic is most
likely to be diagnosed with a rhinosinusitis rather than a common cold? - ✔✔A man
complaining of general fatigue, a headache, and facial pain with a temperature of
100.9°F
✔✔Which of the following phenomena is most likely occurring during a child's alveolar
stage of lung development? - ✔✔A single-capillary network exists and the lungs are
capable of respiration.
✔✔A male lifetime smoker has died as a result of chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease. Which of the following phenomena regarding his alveoli would his care team
have most reasonably expected in the weeks prior to his death? - ✔✔Large numbers of
alveolar macrophages in septal connective tissue
✔✔A definitive test for cystic fibrosis is - ✔✔The sweat test
,✔✔Which of the following statements best captures the etiology of the acute response
phase of extrinsic (atopic) asthma? - ✔✔Chemical mediators are released from
presensitized mast cells.
✔✔About 3 weeks after razing an old chicken house, a 71-year-old retired farmer has
developed a fever, nausea, and vomiting. After ruling out more common health
problems, his care provider eventually makes a diagnosis of histoplasmosis. Which of
the following processes is most likely taking place? - ✔✔Macrophages are able to
remove the offending fungi from the bloodstream but can't destroy them.
✔✔A premature infant on mechanical ventilation has developed bronchopulmonary
dysplasia (BPD) and is showing signs and symptoms of hypoxemia, low lung
compliance, and respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). Which of the following is the
most likely contributor to the infant's present health problem? - ✔✔High inspired oxygen
concentration and injury from positive-pressure ventilation
✔✔Which of the following residents of a long-term care facility is most likely to be
exhibiting the signs and symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)? -
✔✔An 81-year-old male who has a productive cough and recurrent respiratory
infections
✔✔gas exchange - ✔✔primary function of the respiratory system
✔✔conducting airways - ✔✔through which air moves as it passes between the
atmosphere and the lungs
✔✔respiratory tissues - ✔✔where gas exchange takes place
✔✔Conducting airways include: - ✔✔nasal cavity ➔ nasopharynx ➔ oropharynx ➔
larynx ➔ trachea ➔ bronchi ➔ bronchioles
✔✔air moves through the conducting airways - ✔✔warmed, filtered and moistened
✔✔mucous - ✔✔produced by the epithelial cells in the conducting airways forms a layer
that protects the respiratory system by entrapping dust, bacteria, and other foreign
particles that enter the airways.
✔✔glottis - ✔✔vocal folds and opening between them
✔✔hyaline cartilage - ✔✔horseshoe or c-shaped rings that supports the walls of the
trachea and prevent collapsing when the pressure in the thorax becomes negative
✔✔hilum - ✔✔slit in the primary bronchus of the lungs which allows for pulmonary
arteries, veins, and lymph vessels to enter.
, ✔✔pulmonary lobule - ✔✔supplied by one terminal bronchiole, an arteriole, the
pulmonary capillaries and a venule.
✔✔alveoli - ✔✔Terminal air sacs that constitute the gas exchange surface of the lungs.
✔✔pulmonary artery - ✔✔Carries deoxygentated blood from the heart to the lungs
✔✔Lympathic vessels - ✔✔remove particulate matter entering the lungs and plasma
proteins that have escaped from the pulmonary capillaries.
✔✔Parasympathetic stimulation - ✔✔through the vagus nerve, that is responsible for
slightly constricted smooth muscle tone in the normal resting lung.
✔✔sympathetic nervous system stimulation - ✔✔causes airway relaxation, blood vessel
constriction, and inhibition of glandular secretions.
✔✔partial pressue - ✔✔pressure exerted by a single gas in the mixture
✔✔pressure difference - ✔✔Air moves between the atmosphere and the lungs because
of this
✔✔intraplueral pressure - ✔✔pressure in the pleural cavity
✔✔Valsalva maneuver - ✔✔used to study the cardiovascular effects of increased
intrathoracic pressure on peripheral venous pressures, cardiac filling, and cardiac
output, as well as poststrain heart rate and blood pressure receptors.
✔✔lung compliance - ✔✔the ease with which lungs can be expanded
✔✔Tidal Volume (TV) - ✔✔volume of air inhaled or exhaled in a normal breath
✔✔inspiratory reserve volume - ✔✔Amount of air that can be forcefully inhaled after a
normal tidal volume inhalation
✔✔Exiratory Reserve Volume - ✔✔Amount of air that can be exhaled in excess of a
normal tidal volume
✔✔inspiratory capacity - ✔✔amount of air that you can draw into your lungs after you
have completed a quiet respiratory cycle
✔✔vital capacity - ✔✔inspiratory reserve volume + tidal volume + expiratory reserve
volume and is the amount of air that can be exhaled from the point of maximal
inspiration.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔A nurse practitioner is doing the admission assessment on a patient who has been
transferred to the floor after being diagnosed by the emergency room physician with
bilateral pleural effusion. Which of the following findings from the nurse practitioner's
initial assessment of the patient is incongruent with the patient's diagnosis, and would
require further investigation? - ✔✔The patient complains of sharp pain exacerbated by
deep inspiration.
✔✔A short, nonsmoking middle-aged man presents to the emergency department with
left-sided chest pain and a cough. He says that the pain started abruptly, just after
lunch, and that breathing and coughing make it worse. He denies recent injury. He is
breathing shallowly and rapidly and expresses fear that he may be having a heart
attack. Breath sounds are normal, and he is not cyanotic. Which condition is most likely
causing his symptoms? - ✔✔Pleuritis related to infection
✔✔Which of the following situations would be most deserving of a pediatrician's
attention? - ✔✔A midwife notes that a newborn infant's chest is retracting on inspiration
and that the child is grunting.
✔✔A 21-year-old male patient has suffered a head injury during a crash on his
motorcycle, and a deficit that assessments have revealed is an impaired swallowing
mechanism. He has also developed aspiration pneumonia. Which of the following
statements most accurately capture an aspect of his condition? - ✔✔His vocal folds
have been compromised.
✔✔A 44-year-old woman developed calf pain during a transatlantic flight followed by
acute shortness of breath upon arrival at her destination. She was subsequently
diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism (PE), which resolved with anticoagulant therapy.
Which of these statements best characterizes the underlying problem of her PE? -
,✔✔She was short of breath because ventilation was occurring but perfusion was
inadequate.
✔✔As a consequence of long-standing lung disease, a patient is in a chronic state of
hypoxia. Which of the following phenomena would the patient's nurse practitioner be
most justified in anticipating? Select all that apply: - ✔✔Increased erythropoietin
production, Hyperventilation,
Personality changes
✔✔Due to complications, a male postoperative patient has been unable to mobilize for
several days following surgery and has developed atelectasis. Which of the following
processes would his care team anticipate with relation to his health problem? -
✔✔Redirection of blood flow away from the lung regions that are hypoxic
✔✔The mother of a 7-year-old boy who has recently been diagnosed with childhood
asthma has come to the education center to learn more about her son's condition.
Which of the following teaching points is most justifiable? - ✔✔"Research has shown
that viruses may actually be a factor in many children's asthma."
✔✔A 77-year-old lifetime smoker has been diagnosed with a tumor in his lung at the
site of an old tubercle scarring site, located in a peripheral area of his bronchiolar tissue.
What is this patient's most likely diagnosis? - ✔✔Adenocarcinoma
✔✔A patient who presented with shortness of breath and difficulty climbing stairs has
been diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, a disease characterized by scarring of the
alveoli. What would her care team anticipate when observing her breathing? - ✔✔Short,
shallow breaths
✔✔Which of the following patients who presented to a walk-in medical clinic is most
likely to be diagnosed with a rhinosinusitis rather than a common cold? - ✔✔A man
complaining of general fatigue, a headache, and facial pain with a temperature of
100.9°F
✔✔Which of the following phenomena is most likely occurring during a child's alveolar
stage of lung development? - ✔✔A single-capillary network exists and the lungs are
capable of respiration.
✔✔A male lifetime smoker has died as a result of chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease. Which of the following phenomena regarding his alveoli would his care team
have most reasonably expected in the weeks prior to his death? - ✔✔Large numbers of
alveolar macrophages in septal connective tissue
✔✔A definitive test for cystic fibrosis is - ✔✔The sweat test
,✔✔Which of the following statements best captures the etiology of the acute response
phase of extrinsic (atopic) asthma? - ✔✔Chemical mediators are released from
presensitized mast cells.
✔✔About 3 weeks after razing an old chicken house, a 71-year-old retired farmer has
developed a fever, nausea, and vomiting. After ruling out more common health
problems, his care provider eventually makes a diagnosis of histoplasmosis. Which of
the following processes is most likely taking place? - ✔✔Macrophages are able to
remove the offending fungi from the bloodstream but can't destroy them.
✔✔A premature infant on mechanical ventilation has developed bronchopulmonary
dysplasia (BPD) and is showing signs and symptoms of hypoxemia, low lung
compliance, and respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). Which of the following is the
most likely contributor to the infant's present health problem? - ✔✔High inspired oxygen
concentration and injury from positive-pressure ventilation
✔✔Which of the following residents of a long-term care facility is most likely to be
exhibiting the signs and symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)? -
✔✔An 81-year-old male who has a productive cough and recurrent respiratory
infections
✔✔gas exchange - ✔✔primary function of the respiratory system
✔✔conducting airways - ✔✔through which air moves as it passes between the
atmosphere and the lungs
✔✔respiratory tissues - ✔✔where gas exchange takes place
✔✔Conducting airways include: - ✔✔nasal cavity ➔ nasopharynx ➔ oropharynx ➔
larynx ➔ trachea ➔ bronchi ➔ bronchioles
✔✔air moves through the conducting airways - ✔✔warmed, filtered and moistened
✔✔mucous - ✔✔produced by the epithelial cells in the conducting airways forms a layer
that protects the respiratory system by entrapping dust, bacteria, and other foreign
particles that enter the airways.
✔✔glottis - ✔✔vocal folds and opening between them
✔✔hyaline cartilage - ✔✔horseshoe or c-shaped rings that supports the walls of the
trachea and prevent collapsing when the pressure in the thorax becomes negative
✔✔hilum - ✔✔slit in the primary bronchus of the lungs which allows for pulmonary
arteries, veins, and lymph vessels to enter.
, ✔✔pulmonary lobule - ✔✔supplied by one terminal bronchiole, an arteriole, the
pulmonary capillaries and a venule.
✔✔alveoli - ✔✔Terminal air sacs that constitute the gas exchange surface of the lungs.
✔✔pulmonary artery - ✔✔Carries deoxygentated blood from the heart to the lungs
✔✔Lympathic vessels - ✔✔remove particulate matter entering the lungs and plasma
proteins that have escaped from the pulmonary capillaries.
✔✔Parasympathetic stimulation - ✔✔through the vagus nerve, that is responsible for
slightly constricted smooth muscle tone in the normal resting lung.
✔✔sympathetic nervous system stimulation - ✔✔causes airway relaxation, blood vessel
constriction, and inhibition of glandular secretions.
✔✔partial pressue - ✔✔pressure exerted by a single gas in the mixture
✔✔pressure difference - ✔✔Air moves between the atmosphere and the lungs because
of this
✔✔intraplueral pressure - ✔✔pressure in the pleural cavity
✔✔Valsalva maneuver - ✔✔used to study the cardiovascular effects of increased
intrathoracic pressure on peripheral venous pressures, cardiac filling, and cardiac
output, as well as poststrain heart rate and blood pressure receptors.
✔✔lung compliance - ✔✔the ease with which lungs can be expanded
✔✔Tidal Volume (TV) - ✔✔volume of air inhaled or exhaled in a normal breath
✔✔inspiratory reserve volume - ✔✔Amount of air that can be forcefully inhaled after a
normal tidal volume inhalation
✔✔Exiratory Reserve Volume - ✔✔Amount of air that can be exhaled in excess of a
normal tidal volume
✔✔inspiratory capacity - ✔✔amount of air that you can draw into your lungs after you
have completed a quiet respiratory cycle
✔✔vital capacity - ✔✔inspiratory reserve volume + tidal volume + expiratory reserve
volume and is the amount of air that can be exhaled from the point of maximal
inspiration.
