100 Respiratory NCLEX questions

100 Respiratory NCLEX questions

• Dr. Jones prescribes albuterol sulfate (Proventil) for a patient with

newly diagnose asthma. When teaching the patient about this drug,

the nurse should explain that it may cause:

• Nasal congestion
• Nervousness
• Lethargy
• Hyperkalemia
• Miriam, a college student with acute rhinitis sees the campus nurse

because of excessive nasal drainage. The nurse asks the patient about

the color of the drainage. In acute rhinitis, nasal drainage normally is:

• Yellow
• Green
• Clear
• Gray
• A male adult patient hospitalized for treatment of a pulmonary

embolism develops respiratory alkalosis. Which clinical findings commonly accompany respiratory alkalosis?

• Nausea or vomiting
• Abdominal pain or diarrhea
• Hallucinations or tinnitus
• Lightheadedness or paresthesia

• Before administering ephedrine, Nurse Tony assesses the patient’s

history. Because of ephedrine’s central nervous system (CNS) effects, it

is not recommended for:

• Patients with an acute asthma attack
• Patients with narcolepsy
• Patients under age 6
• Elderly patients
• A female patient suffers adult respiratory distress syndrome as a

consequence of shock. The patient’s condition deteriorates rapidly, and endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation are initiated. When the high-pressure alarm on the mechanical ventilator, alarm sounds, the nurse starts to check for the cause. Which condition triggers the high-pressure alarm?

• Kinking of the ventilator tubing
• A disconnected ventilator tube
• An endotracheal cuff leak
• A change in the oxygen concentration without resetting the oxygen level

alarm

• A male adult patient on mechanical ventilation is

receiving pancuronium bromide (Pavulon), 0.01 mg/kg I.V. as needed.Which assessment finding indicates that the patient needs another pancuronium dose?

• Leg movement
• Finger movement
• Lip movement
• Fighting the ventilator

• On auscultation, which finding suggests a right pneumothorax?
• Bilateral inspiratory and expiratory crackles
• Absence of breaths sound in the right thorax
• Inspiratory wheezes in the right thorax
• Bilateral pleural friction rub.
• Rhea, confused and short breath, is brought to the emergency

department by a family member. The medical history reveals chronic bronchitis and hypertension. To learn more about the current respiratory problem, the doctor orders a chest x-ray and arterial blood gas (ABG) analysis. When reviewing the ABG report, the nurses sees many abbreviations. What does a lowercase “a” in ABG value present?

• Acid-base balance
• Arterial Blood
• Arterial oxygen saturation
• Alveoli
• A male patient is admitted to the healthcare facility for treatment

of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Which nursing diagnosis is most important for this patient?

• Activity intolerance related to fatigue
• Anxiety related to actual threat to health status
• Risk for infection related to retained secretions
• Impaired gas exchange related to airflow obstruction
• Nurse Ruth assessing a patient for tracheal displacement should

know that the trachea will deviate toward the:

• Contralateral side in a simple pneumothorax
• Affected side in a hemothorax
• Affected side in a tension pneumothorax
• Contralateral side in hemothorax
• After undergoing a left pneumonectomy, a female patient has a

chest tube in place for drainage. When caring for this patient, the nurse

must:

• Monitor fluctuations in the water-seal chamber
• Clamp the chest tube once every shift
• Encourage coughing and deep breathing
• Milk the chest tube every 2 hours
• When caring for a male patient who has just had a total

laryngectomy, the nurse should plan to:

• Encourage oral feeding as soon as possible
• Develop an alternative communication method
• Keep the tracheostomy cuff fully inflated
• Keep the patient flat in bed
• A male patient has a sucking stab wound to the chest. Which action

should the nurse take first?

• Drawing blood for a hematocrit and hemoglobin level
• Applying a dressing over the wound and taping it on three sides
• Preparing a chest tube insertion tray
• Preparing to start an I.V. line