Chest Tubes Study Guide 2025 | Nursing, Respiratory & Medical Management Overview

D)Removing excess air and fluid


A nurse is educating a patient in
anticipation of a procedure that
will require a water-sealed chest
drainage system. What should
the nurse tell the patient and the
family that this drainage system
is used for?
A)Maintaining positive chest-wall
pressure
B)Monitoring pleural fluid
osmolarity
C)Providing positive intrathoracic
pressure
D)Removing excess air and fluid




C)The system has an air leak.

While assessing the patient, the
nurse observes constant bubbling
in the water-seal chamber of the
patients closed chest-drainage
system. What should the nurse
conclude?
A)The system is functioning
normally.
B)The patient has a
pneumothorax.
C)The system has an air leak.
D)The chest tube is obstructed.



A)20 cm H2O


The OR nurse is setting up a
water-seal chest drainage system
for a patient who has just had a
thoracotomy. The nurse knows
that the amount of suction in the
system is determined by the
water level. At what suction level
should the nurse set the system?
A)20 cm H2O
B)15 cm H2O
C)10 cm H2O
D)5 cm H2O