Study 7 Integrated Impaired Oxygenation Practice Questions with 12 free online flashcards. Review key terms, definitions, and concepts with this interactive flashcard deck.
Why is a quiet chest during a severe asthma attack an emergency sign?
A quiet or absent chest during severe asthma can signal critically reduced airflow, not improvement. Drowsiness or inability to speak normally makes the situation life-threatening.
What should be urgently considered after surgery with sudden dyspnea and pleuritic pain?
Consider pulmonary embolism urgently. Recent surgery, sudden dyspnea, pleuritic chest pain, tachycardia, and hypoxemia are concerning clues, but no single symptom confirms the diagnosis.
How should oxygen be approached for a hypoxemic patient with COPD?
Do not withhold oxygen. Titrate it to the prescribed target and reassess; for many patients at risk of hypercapnic respiratory failure, a pending-blood-gas target is 88–92%, unless individualized otherwise.
What takes priority when pneumonia is accompanied by confusion, tachypnea, and marked hypoxemia?
Stay with the patient, position them to ease breathing, support oxygenation according to protocol, reassess, and urgently escalate. Stabilization takes priority over specimens or teaching.
What does pH 7.29, PaCO₂ 66 mmHg, and PaO₂ 55 mmHg suggest?
The low pH with elevated PaCO₂ indicates respiratory acidosis, while the low PaO₂ indicates hypoxemia. Together with reduced alertness, these findings raise concern for acute respiratory failure and require urgent escalation.
Does supplemental oxygen alone correct inadequate ventilation and high carbon dioxide?
Oxygen can improve oxygenation, but it does not by itself correct inadequate ventilation or remove carbon dioxide. Worsening ventilation may require assessment for ventilatory support.
What broad pattern distinguishes asthma from COPD?
Asthma often has variable, episodic airway narrowing; COPD more often involves persistent airflow limitation and chronic symptoms. The patterns can overlap.
What is an appropriate response to rapidly worsening asthma with accessory-muscle use and limited speech?
Escalate care, give prescribed rapid-acting inhaled bronchodilator and other ordered acute treatments, and titrate oxygen to the appropriate target. Reassess closely.
What oxygen-saturation target is stated for adults and adolescents during an asthma exacerbation?
For adults and adolescents with an asthma exacerbation, the stated target is 93–95%, with escalation for life-threatening signs.
Which findings support pneumonia over an isolated asthma flare or pulmonary embolism?
Fever, cough, purulent sputum, and focal crackles support pneumonia, though clinical assessment and diagnostic testing are needed.
What should be assessed alongside a pulse-oximeter reading?
Assess work of breathing, mental status, trends, and response to interventions as well as the pulse-oximeter reading. A saturation number alone is only part of the assessment.
Why do restlessness and increased work of breathing require prompt attention?
Restlessness and increased work of breathing can precede more obvious respiratory failure. Reassess promptly and escalate urgently if the patient is unstable or not improving.
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