Exam 19: Thorax and Lungs

When assessing tactile fremitus, the nurse recalls that it is normal to feel tactile fremitus most intensely over which location?

Which is a normal finding when assessing the respiratory system of an older adult?

During palpation of the anterior chest wall, the nurse notices a coarse, crackling sensation over the skin surface. What does this finding indicate?

During auscultation of the lungs of an adult patient, the nurse notices the presence of bronchophony. The nurse should assess for signs of which condition?

A mother brings her 3-month-old infant to the clinic for evaluation of a cold. She tells the nurse that he has had "a runny nose for a week." When performing the physical assessment, the nurse notes that the child has nasal flaring and sternal and intercostal retractions. What should the nurse do next?

The nurse is assessing the lungs of an older adult. Which of these changes are normal in the respiratory system of the older adult?

A patient has been admitted to the emergency department for a suspected drug overdose. His respirations are shallow, with an irregular pattern, at a rate of 12 respirations per minute. The nurse interprets this respiration pattern as which of the following?

During a morning assessment, the nurse notices that the patient's sputum is frothy and pink. Which condition could this finding indicate?

The nurse is percussing over the lungs of a patient with pneumonia. If the patient has atelectasis, what sound will the nurse hear?

A patient has been admitted to the emergency department with a possible medical diagnosis of pulmonary embolism. The nurse expects to see which assessment findings related to this condition?

A 35-year-old recent immigrant is being seen in the clinic for symptoms of a cough associated with rust-colored sputum, low-grade afternoon fevers, and night sweats for the past 2 months. Based on these findings, what is the most likely cause?

During auscultation of the lungs, the nurse expects decreased breath sounds to be heard in which situation?

When assessing a patient's lungs, what should the nurse recall about the left lung?

A teenage patient comes to the emergency department with complaints of an inability to breathe and a sharp pain in the left side of his chest. The assessment findings include cyanosis, tachypnea, tracheal deviation to the right, decreased tactile fremitus on the left, hyperresonance on the left, and decreased breath sounds on the left. What do these findings suggest?

The nurse would most likely hear fine crackles in which patient or situation?

The nurse is listening to the breath sounds of a patient with severe asthma. Air passing through narrowed bronchioles would produce which of these adventitious sounds?

When performing a respiratory assessment on a patient, the nurse notices a costal angle of approximately 90 degrees. What should the nurse recognize about this finding?

When auscultating the lungs of an adult patient, the nurse notes that low-pitched, soft breath sounds are heard over the posterior lower lobes, with inspiration being longer than expiration. How should the nurse interpret these findings?

When assessing the respiratory system of a 4-year-old child, which of these findings would the nurse expect?

An adult patient with a history of allergies comes to the clinic complaining of wheezing and difficulty in breathing when working in his yard. The assessment findings include tachypnea, the use of accessory neck muscles, prolonged expiration, intercostal retractions, decreased breath sounds, and expiratory wheezes. What do these findings suggest?