INTRO TO RESPIRATORY CARE FINAL EXAM | PRACTICE QUESTIONS & ANSWERS |
COMPREHENSIVE STUDY GUIDE 2026/2027
Contact precautions - correct answer ✔✔Wash hands, wear gloves and gown; dirty equipment
used on patient stays in the room (stethoscope, blood pressure cuff).
AMI - correct answer ✔✔Acute myocardial infarction
Nasal cannula - correct answer ✔✔A low flow device commonly used for stable patients who
can tolerate a low, non-fixed oxygen concentration; most popular because it is non-obtrusive;
this device delivers 100% oxygen, but because the patient breaths room air, the exact FiO2
cannot be calculated, only estimated; other factors affecting the FiO2 are the oxygen flow rate
through the cannula, mouth breathing, respiratory rate pattern; it delivers an FiO2 of 24-44% at
0.25-6 LPM; approximate FiO2 is calculated at 20% room air plus 4% for each LPM (1=24%,
2=28%, 3=32%, 4=36%, 5=40%, 6=44%); no more than 6 LPM should be used because it will
cause discomfort and dry out the nose; patients requiring more than 6 LPM will need the simple
mask.
Oxygen therapy - correct answer ✔✔Treats or prevents hypoxia by administering oxygen at
concentrations greater than the level found in ambient air. Room air consists of 21% oxygen.
2 Types of patient assessment documentation - correct answer ✔✔Documentation of physical
exam and/or outline of medical history.
Documentation of physical exam - correct answer ✔✔Initial impression, vital signs, HEENT,
neck, thorax, abdomen, and extremities.
Outline of medical history - correct answer ✔✔Patient information, CC, HPI, PMH, FH,
social/environment HX, ROS.
,Vital signs - correct answer ✔✔Heart rate 60-100 BPM, blood pressure 120-140/70-85;
respiratory rate 12-20; temperature 96-99.6 F, 35.5-37.5 C; SpO2 95-100%.
2 Types of assessment - correct answer ✔✔Door way and hands on.
Respiratory symptoms - correct answer ✔✔Dyspnea/DOE, SOB; cough, sputum (color, smell,
texture), chest pain, skin color, and audible breath sounds (i.e., wheeze).
Dyspnea symptoms - correct answer ✔✔Anxiety, DOE, positional - orthopnea, increased WOB -
retractions, accessory muscle use.
Sputum characteristics - correct answer ✔✔How much (copious or scant), consistency, color
(white, yellow, green, blue, etc.), hemoptysis, mucoid, fetid, tenacious, and purulent.
2 Types of chest pain - correct answer ✔✔Pleuritic and nonpleuritic
Edema - correct answer ✔✔Abnormal accumulation of fluid in connective tissue, leading to
swelling.
Kyphosis - correct answer ✔✔A "humpback"; usually occurs as exaggerated curve that leans
forward in thoracic spine; diaphragm is crushed limiting breathing (i.e., elderly).
Kussmals - correct answer ✔✔A deep and labored breathing pattern almost sounding like
hyperventilation (i.e., diabetic ketoacidosis).
Cheyne-stokes - correct answer ✔✔Periods of tachypnea, bradypnea, and apnea; usually heard
at the end of life
Apnea - correct answer ✔✔Absence of breathing; no breathing.
, Hypertension - correct answer ✔✔Abnormally high blood pressure
Perfusion assessment - correct answer ✔✔How well blood and oxygen are getting to the
tissues, body wants to protect major organs (i.e., brain, heart); BP, sensorium, temperature,
U/O; hypotension (low BP), hypothermic; assess for temperature (cold/hot), pallor, hypotention.
Systolic - correct answer ✔✔Blood pressure in the arteries during contraction of the ventricles.
Pulse Oximeter - correct answer ✔✔A device that measure how saturated, or filled the red
blood cells are with oxygen; known as SpO2; place on index finger; uses an inferred light to
read; if a high result is reached, try testing on another area (i.e., toes, earlobes, another finger,
nose, forehead).
Pulse sites - correct answer ✔✔Wrist (radial artery), neck(carotid artery), elbow (brachial
artery), groin (femoral artery), knee (popliteal artery), and ankle joint (posterior tibia artery);
foot (dorsalis pedis artery).
Tenacious - correct answer ✔✔Stringy and sticky sputum.
Dyspnea on exertion - correct answer ✔✔Difficult or labored breathing/shortness of breath
while exerting self (i.e., walking up stairs).
Hypoxemia - correct answer ✔✔Low blood oxygen/low oxygen saturation and PaO2. (i.e.,
cyanosis, dyspnea); leads to the development of hypoxia.
Eurocardia - correct answer ✔✔Normal heart rate; 60-100 BPM
Dyspnea - correct answer ✔✔Difficult or labored breathing; shortness of breath.
COMPREHENSIVE STUDY GUIDE 2026/2027
Contact precautions - correct answer ✔✔Wash hands, wear gloves and gown; dirty equipment
used on patient stays in the room (stethoscope, blood pressure cuff).
AMI - correct answer ✔✔Acute myocardial infarction
Nasal cannula - correct answer ✔✔A low flow device commonly used for stable patients who
can tolerate a low, non-fixed oxygen concentration; most popular because it is non-obtrusive;
this device delivers 100% oxygen, but because the patient breaths room air, the exact FiO2
cannot be calculated, only estimated; other factors affecting the FiO2 are the oxygen flow rate
through the cannula, mouth breathing, respiratory rate pattern; it delivers an FiO2 of 24-44% at
0.25-6 LPM; approximate FiO2 is calculated at 20% room air plus 4% for each LPM (1=24%,
2=28%, 3=32%, 4=36%, 5=40%, 6=44%); no more than 6 LPM should be used because it will
cause discomfort and dry out the nose; patients requiring more than 6 LPM will need the simple
mask.
Oxygen therapy - correct answer ✔✔Treats or prevents hypoxia by administering oxygen at
concentrations greater than the level found in ambient air. Room air consists of 21% oxygen.
2 Types of patient assessment documentation - correct answer ✔✔Documentation of physical
exam and/or outline of medical history.
Documentation of physical exam - correct answer ✔✔Initial impression, vital signs, HEENT,
neck, thorax, abdomen, and extremities.
Outline of medical history - correct answer ✔✔Patient information, CC, HPI, PMH, FH,
social/environment HX, ROS.
,Vital signs - correct answer ✔✔Heart rate 60-100 BPM, blood pressure 120-140/70-85;
respiratory rate 12-20; temperature 96-99.6 F, 35.5-37.5 C; SpO2 95-100%.
2 Types of assessment - correct answer ✔✔Door way and hands on.
Respiratory symptoms - correct answer ✔✔Dyspnea/DOE, SOB; cough, sputum (color, smell,
texture), chest pain, skin color, and audible breath sounds (i.e., wheeze).
Dyspnea symptoms - correct answer ✔✔Anxiety, DOE, positional - orthopnea, increased WOB -
retractions, accessory muscle use.
Sputum characteristics - correct answer ✔✔How much (copious or scant), consistency, color
(white, yellow, green, blue, etc.), hemoptysis, mucoid, fetid, tenacious, and purulent.
2 Types of chest pain - correct answer ✔✔Pleuritic and nonpleuritic
Edema - correct answer ✔✔Abnormal accumulation of fluid in connective tissue, leading to
swelling.
Kyphosis - correct answer ✔✔A "humpback"; usually occurs as exaggerated curve that leans
forward in thoracic spine; diaphragm is crushed limiting breathing (i.e., elderly).
Kussmals - correct answer ✔✔A deep and labored breathing pattern almost sounding like
hyperventilation (i.e., diabetic ketoacidosis).
Cheyne-stokes - correct answer ✔✔Periods of tachypnea, bradypnea, and apnea; usually heard
at the end of life
Apnea - correct answer ✔✔Absence of breathing; no breathing.
, Hypertension - correct answer ✔✔Abnormally high blood pressure
Perfusion assessment - correct answer ✔✔How well blood and oxygen are getting to the
tissues, body wants to protect major organs (i.e., brain, heart); BP, sensorium, temperature,
U/O; hypotension (low BP), hypothermic; assess for temperature (cold/hot), pallor, hypotention.
Systolic - correct answer ✔✔Blood pressure in the arteries during contraction of the ventricles.
Pulse Oximeter - correct answer ✔✔A device that measure how saturated, or filled the red
blood cells are with oxygen; known as SpO2; place on index finger; uses an inferred light to
read; if a high result is reached, try testing on another area (i.e., toes, earlobes, another finger,
nose, forehead).
Pulse sites - correct answer ✔✔Wrist (radial artery), neck(carotid artery), elbow (brachial
artery), groin (femoral artery), knee (popliteal artery), and ankle joint (posterior tibia artery);
foot (dorsalis pedis artery).
Tenacious - correct answer ✔✔Stringy and sticky sputum.
Dyspnea on exertion - correct answer ✔✔Difficult or labored breathing/shortness of breath
while exerting self (i.e., walking up stairs).
Hypoxemia - correct answer ✔✔Low blood oxygen/low oxygen saturation and PaO2. (i.e.,
cyanosis, dyspnea); leads to the development of hypoxia.
Eurocardia - correct answer ✔✔Normal heart rate; 60-100 BPM
Dyspnea - correct answer ✔✔Difficult or labored breathing; shortness of breath.
