Chapter 32: Care of Critically Ill Patients with Respiratory Problems

Chapter 32: Care of Critically Ill Patients with Respiratory Problems

Complete Chapter Questions With Answers

Sample Questions Are Posted Below

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. A nurse answers a call light and finds a client anxious, short of breath, reporting chest pain, and having a blood pressure of 88/52 mm Hg on the cardiac monitor. What action by the nurse takes priority?
   1. Assess the client’s lung sounds.
   2. Notify the Rapid Response Team.
   3. Provide reassurance to the client.
   4. Take a full set of vital signs.

ANS:   B

This client has manifestations of a pulmonary embolism, and the most critical action is to notify the Rapid Response Team for speedy diagnosis and treatment. The other actions are appropriate also but are not the priority.

DIF:     Remembering/Knowledge                 REF: 605                     KEY: Critical rescue| Rapid Response Team| thromboembolic event| pulmonary embolism MSC:         Integrated Process: Communication and Documentation  NOT: Client Needs Category: Physiological Integrity: Physiological Adaptation

2. A client is admitted with a pulmonary embolism (PE). The client is young, healthy, and active and has no known risk factors for PE. What action by the nurse is most appropriate?
   1. Encourage the client to walk 5 minutes each hour.
   2. Refer the client to smoking cessation classes.
   3. Teach the client about factor V Leiden testing.
   4. Tell the client that sometimes no cause for disease is found.

ANS:   C

Factor V Leiden is an inherited thrombophilia that can lead to abnormal clotting events, including PE. A client with no known risk factors for this disorder should be referred for testing. Encouraging the client to walk is healthy, but is not related to the development of a PE in this case, nor is smoking. Although there are cases of disease where no cause is ever found, this assumption is premature.

DIF:     Applying/Application                         REF: 605                     KEY: Pulmonary embolism| thrombotic events| patient education| genetic testing MSC:             Integrated Process: Teaching/Learning                                                      NOT:              Client Needs Category: Physiological Integrity: Reduction of Risk Potential

3. A client has a pulmonary embolism and is started on oxygen. The student nurse asks why the client’s oxygen saturation has not significantly improved. What response by the nurse is best?
   1. “Breathing so rapidly interferes with oxygenation.”
   2. “Maybe the client has respiratory distress syndrome.”
   3. “The blood clot interferes with perfusion in the lungs.”
   4. “The client needs immediate intubation and mechanical ventilation.”

ANS:           C

A large blood clot in the lungs will significantly impair gas exchange and oxygenation. Unless the clot is dissolved, this process will continue unabated. Hyperventilation can interfere with oxygenation by shallow breathing, but there is no evidence that the client is hyperventilating, and this is also not the most precise physiologic answer. Respiratory distress syndrome can occur, but this is not as likely. The client may need to be mechanically ventilated, but without concrete data on FiO₂ and SaO₂, the nurse cannot make that judgment.

DIF:            Applying/Application                         REF: 603                     KEY: Pulmonary embolism| thromboembolic event| respiratory system| oxygen saturation MSC:      Integrated Process: Teaching/Learning                                                             NOT:              Client Needs Category: Physiological Integrity: Physiological Adaptation

4. A client is on intravenous heparin to treat a pulmonary embolism. The client’s most recent partial thromboplastin time (PTT) was 25 seconds. What order should the nurse anticipate?
   1. Decrease the heparin rate.
   2. Increase the heparin rate.
   3. No change to the heparin rate.
   4. Stop heparin; start warfarin (Coumadin).

ANS:           B

For clients on heparin, a PTT of 1.5 to 2.5 times the normal value is needed to demonstrate the heparin is working. A normal PTT is 25 to 35 seconds, so this client’s PTT value is too low. The heparin rate needs to be increased. Warfarin is not indicated in this situation.

DIF:            Applying/Application                         REF: 606                     KEY: Pulmonary embolism| thromboembolic events| anticoagulants| laboratory values MSC:            Integrated Process: Nursing Process: Analysis                                                    NOT:                          Client Needs Category: Physiological Integrity: Reduction of Risk Potential