An RT is preparing to perform an arterial puncture when the following rhythm is observed on the monitor:

During a routine suctioning procedure, an RT notes the following rhythm on the cardiac monitor. In regard to this pattern, the RT should

During a routine suctioning procedure, an RT notes the following rhythm on the cardiac monitor:

A respiratory therapist is called to perform a STAT ECG on a patient with chest pain in the emergency department. Proper placement of chest lead V6 is the

How will you ensure that your patients don’t feel awkward or embarrassed when you do ECGs or chest exams?

A respiratory therapist is preparing to perform pulse oximetry. Which of the following would be least beneficial for assessing accuracy of the device?

Which of the following would you perform after obtaining an arterial blood gas sample?

A pulse oximeter is being used to monitor a patient who was rescued from a fire. The SpO₂ is 90%; however, the patient is unconscious and shows signs of respiratory distress. What additional test should the RT recommend?

A polarographic O2 analyzer fails to calibrate when exposed to 100% O2. The first action the respiratory therapist should take would be to

An infant is placed on a transcutaneous O2 monitor. The TcPO2 is reading 40 mm Hg less than the PaO2 obtained from an arterial sample. All of the following could cause this problem except

Which of the following analyzers is calibrated to a value of zero when exposed to room air?

Which of the following would be most useful in assessing proper tube placement following endotracheal intubation?

Complications of arterial puncture include all of the following except

A galvanic O2 analyzer is being used as a check of the ventilator system to measure the delivered FiO2. The set FiO2 is 40%; however, the analyzer is reading 32%. Which of the following is the most likely cause of this discrepancy?

Which of the following will affect the accuracy of pulse oximeter measurements?

An arterial blood gas sample is drawn from a patient who is breathing room air. Analysis reveals the following results: pH 7.45, PaCO2 35 mm Hg, PaO2 155 mm Hg. Which of the following best explains these results?

Which of the following sites would be the best for continuous monitoring of exhaled carbon dioxide during mechanical ventilation?

Which of the following is true concerning the use of a transcutaneous PO2 monitor?

How would you modify your technique if you had to perform ABGs on a patient receiving anticoagulants?

67. Why can you use a capnometer during CPR but not a pulse oximeter?

Which of the following tests would be helpful in assessing the effects of cigarette smoking on the smaller airways?

A patient’s physician asks you to recommend a pulmonary function test to help assess the effects of a possible tumor in the trachea. Which of the following would you recommend?

A pulmonary function technologist tests a spirometer by injecting 3.0 L of air from a large-volume syringe. The spirometer measures 2.9 L. Which of the following is true regarding this situation?

Which of the following values could be incorrectly calculated?

Which of the following pulmonary measurements is usually the smallest?

The following results were obtained from spirometry of an adult female smoker with chronic bronchitis. What is the correct interpretation? Test Actual Predicted % Predicted FVC 3.9 L 4.8 L 81% FEV1 3.1 L 4.1 L 76% FEV1/FVC 79% 70%

After a bronchodilator is administered, what percentage increase in forced spirometric volumes or flow rates is the minimum indication that reversible airway obstruction is present?

Which of the following can be measured during spirometric testing?

An increased total lung capacity combined with a decreased diffusing capacity is strongly indicative of which of the following conditions?

Smoking affects the results of a diffusion test by:

The lung volume or capacity useful in predicting normal values for incentive spirometry is:

A patient has dyspnea and tachycardia following thoracentesis to treat a pleural effusion. Evaluation of this patient should include a(n) _____________.

A pneumothorax would appear on a chest radiograph as a:

The medical record of an intubated patient indicates that the morning chest film shows opacification of the lower right lung field with elevated right diaphragm and a shift of the trachea to the right. These findings suggest:

On a chest radiograph, the tip of the endotracheal tube for an adult patient should be:

What specific type of chest radiograph may be useful in evaluating pleural effusion?

A patient with a history of hypertension presents in the ED with headache, slurred speech, and left-sided weakness. What diagnostic imaging procedure does the respiratory therapist recommend to further evaluate this patient according to the ACLS guidelines?

A patient with a history of pulmonary pathology and cancer presents with a suspicious mediastinal mass on the chest x-ray. What diagnostic imaging procedure would be useful in gathering further information about the mass?

Ultrasound is useful in the cardiopulmonary setting for

A respiratory care practitioner is treating a child with respiratory distress in the emergency department. Which type of diagnostic imaging procedure may be useful for differentiating between epiglottitis and croup in children?

The respiratory therapist is checking a patient-ventilator system in the medical intensive care unit when the high-pressure alarm begins to sound. Breath sounds are absent on the left with good tube placement. Blood pressure is 80/50 mm Hg. SpO₂ is 86% and falling. The heart rate is 160 beats/min. There is a hyperresonant percussion note on the left upper chest. The patient has lost consciousness. What action should the respiratory therapist take at this time?

The patient head position is important in assessing the placement of the tip of an endotracheal tube on a radiograph. What happens to the tube if the head moves up (extension) or the chin goes down (flexion)? How far can the tube move?

You are preparing a patient for her flexible bronchoscopy procedure. Her weight is 50 kg. What is the total dose of lidocaine that should not be exceeded to help avoid methemoglobinemia?

What effects could be seen during a flexible bronchoscopy procedure on an intubated patient receiving mechanical ventilation?

A respiratory therapist is caring for a 66-year-old male patient with acute exacerbation of COPD. The therapist notes the patient is extremely thin, with ribs obviously showing on his chest. What term should the therapist use to document the patient's appearance?

Cystic fibrosis patients may need what dietary supplement to be able to absorb nutrients?

A patient is seen in the ED with fever, chills, and tachypnea. He states he feels weak and short of breath. The vitals are T 101.4°F, f 28, HR 121, BP 140/96, and SpO2 88% on room air. What should the respiratory therapist do first?

A 14-year-old is admitted to the medical floor with “acute exacerbation of asthma secondary to lung infection.” While administering bronchodilator therapy, the respiratory therapist observes the patient producing moderate amounts of thick yellow phlegm. What should the therapist recommend at this point?

Which of the following mechanisms is the most common cause for bacterial pneumonia?

A person with AIDS presents in the ED with profound hypoxemia, shortness of breath, and nonproductive cough. Physical examination findings suggest bilateral lower lobe pneumonia. Which of the following organisms is most likely to be seen in this particular individual?

New onset of fever accompanied by purulent secretions and a new infiltrate on the chest film in an intubated patient are strongly suggestive of

You suspect that one of your ventilator patients is at high risk for developing pneumonia. What general action should you take?

The role of the RT in educating at-risk populations about methods to prevent pneumonia is to:

A 20-year-old woman who has a history of asthma is brought to the emergency department in respiratory distress. Your assessment of the patient reveals the following: pH 7.47 PaCO₂ 33 mm Hg PaO₂ 72 mm Hg HCO₃⁻ 23 mEq/L RR 28 HR 115 PEFR 200 L/min Which of the following breath sounds would you expect to hear in this patient?

A 20-year-old woman who has a history of asthma is brought to the emergency department in respiratory distress. Your assessment of the patient reveals the following: pH 7.47 PaCO₂ 33 mm Hg PaO₂ 72 mm Hg HCO₃⁻ 23 mEq/L RR 28 HR 115 PEFR 200 L/min The arterial blood gas results indicate the presence of

A 20-year-old woman who has a history of asthma is brought to the emergency department in respiratory distress. Your assessment of the patient reveals the following: pH 7.47, PaCO₂ 33 mm Hg, PaO₂ 72 mm Hg, HCO₃⁻ 23 mEq/L, RR 28, HR 115, PEFR 200 L/min. You are asked to initiate oxygen therapy. What would you recommend?

A 20-year-old woman who has a history of asthma is brought to the emergency department in respiratory distress. Your assessment of the patient reveals the following: pH 7.47 PaCO₂ 33 mm Hg PaO₂ 72 mm Hg HCO₃⁻ 23 mEq/L RR 28 HR 115 PEFR 200 L/min What therapy would you recommend after the oxygen is in place?

Blood gases are repeated 30 minutes after the oxygen therapy is initiated. pH 7.42 PaCO₂ 38 mm Hg PaO₂ 86 mm Hg HCO₃⁻ 23 mEq/L RR 24 HR 88 PEFR 210 L/min Which of the following has shown significant improvement based on this information?

A patient with COPD and CO2 retention is admitted for an acute exacerbation of her disease. The physician requests your suggestion for initiating oxygen therapy. Which of the following would you recommend?

A PFT on a 65-year-old woman indicates airflow obstruction with mild air-trapping. The patient is coughing up thick sputum. Which of the following diagnoses is most likely?

A PFT on a 56-year-old man with a history of smoking shows increased TLC and RV. The Dlco is reduced. What diagnosis is suggested by these findings?

Spirometry is performed before and after bronchodilator administration. Which of the following indicates a therapeutic response?

Because only 15% of smokers show big declines in airflow, why should we encourage all patients to quit smoking?

Omalizumab (Xolair) is used for asthma. How does it work?

A patient with a history of sarcoidosis presents in the emergency department with shortness of breath. Vital signs are T 99, P 114, f 32, BP 138/88, and SpO2 82%. The respiratory care practitioner would

What is the general term for all lung diseases that cause a reduction in lung volumes without a reduction in flow rates?

Immediately after insertion of a central line via the subclavian vein, an intubated patient becomes dyspneic. The respiratory therapist should recommend which of the following diagnostic tests?

The middle bottle of a three-bottle chest drainage system is used for which of the following?

A chest tube is placed anteriorly between the second and third ribs. The tube is probably intended to treat a

A patient is suspected of having a pleural effusion. Which x-ray position is most appropriate to confirm this diagnosis?

Thoracentesis is performed and 1500 ml of fluid is removed from the right chest. Which of the following is likely to occur as a result?

All of the following would be useful in differentiating right mainstem intubation from left-sided pneumothorax except

Following an IPPB treatment, a COPD patient complains of sudden severe chest pain. What is the respiratory therapist's first priority in this situation?

A patient develops subcutaneous emphysema following a motor vehicle accident involving multiple rib fractures. What action should the respiratory therapist take in this situation?

What is meant by the term "ascites" and how could ascites affect respiratory function besides causing effusions?

Subcutaneous emphysema is characterized by air present under the skin. What relationship does it have to pneumothorax?

A patient who is being mechanically ventilated shows an increased V_D/V_T ratio. Which of the following disorders could be responsible?

Which of the following is the most appropriate test to confirm the presence of a suspected PE?

A ventilation/perfusion scan reveals a defect in perfusion in the right lower lobe without a corresponding decrease in ventilation. Which of the following is the most probable diagnosis?

Discuss the Westermark sign and the Hampton hump in the confirmation of PE.