SAE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Question 1: A medical student is assigned to care for a patient with a smoking history
and who is suspected of having emphysema. She asks for recommendations on what
tests might be used to help determine the diagnosis. You would recommend all of the
following EXCEPT:
a. Pulmonary function testing
b. Chest radiograph
c. Chest ultrasound
d. Arterial blood gas - Answers - C. Chest Ultrasound
Question 2: A patient is performing a stress test. Which of the following respiratory
exchange ratio values would confirm that the patient has reached the anaerobic
threshold?
0.8
0.9
1.0
1.1 - Answers - c. 1.0
Question 3: A patient is referred for a sleep study. The attending physician wants to
know which parameters are measured during the study. You would measure all of the
following EXCEPT:
SpO2
ECG
Inspiratory and expiratory breathing efforts
ABG values - Answers - C and D
Question 4: When preparing to assist the physician with the cardioversion of a patient,
you must check the following:
A. A strong R wave should be seen on the ECG monitor
B. The charge level should be set as ordered
C. The electric paddles should be kept clean for the best possible conduction
D. Ensure that the ECG electrodes are attached properly - Answers - A,B,D
Question 5: Your mechanically ventilated patient is going to have a flexible fiberoptic
bronchoscopy performed. Of what kinds of considerations must you be aware?
a. The VT must be monitored for a leak
b. The inspiratory flow resistance will increase
c. The inspiratory pressure will decrease
d. The inspiratory pressure will increase - Answers - A, B, and D
Question 6:After a sleep study has been performed, your patient is given a diagnosis of
obstructive sleep apnea. His physician asks for your advice on the best method of
management. You would recommend that
,a. The patient should use nasal CPAP when sleeping.
b. The patient should sleep with an oropharyngeal airway to keep the tongue forward in
the mouth.
c. The patient should always sleep on his back.
d. A tracheostomy should be performed, and the patient should be placed on a volume-
cycled ventilator to sleep. - Answers - A
Question 7: Your patient is being mechanically ventilated when the nurse calls you to
evaluate the patient's condition. You discover that her breath sounds are absent over
the left lung field, the left-sided percussion note is hyperresonant, and peak airway
pressures have increased from 40 to 65 cm H2O. What would you recommend?
a. Place a pleural chest tube into the right side.
b. Increase the VT to better inflate the atelectatic left lung.
c. Change the mode to synchronous intermittent mechanical ventilation from
assist/control.
d. Place a pleural chest tube into the left side. - Answers - D
Question 8: After instructing a home care patient on the use of her small volume
nebulizer, you want to be sure that she understands how to fill and clean it. How could
you confirm this?
a. Have the patient demonstrate use of the nebulizer to you
b. Have the patient's boyfriend demonstrate use of the nebulizer to you.
c. Have the patient answer your questions about the nebulizer
d. Have the patient tell you how the equipment is assembled and cleaned. - Answers -
a,c,d
Question 9: Your patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is starting
a pulmonary rehabilitation program and taking her first 6MW test. If she should
desaturate, at what pulse oximeter reading would supplemental oxygen be indicated?
a. <96%
b. <90%
c. <88%
d. <84% - Answers - c
Question 10: A home care patient tells you that she cannot feel O2 coming to her nasal
cannula from the O2 concentrator. You would do all of the following EXCEPT:
a. refill the humidifier bottle with sterile water
b. place the cannula prongs underwater to see if there is any bubbling of gas
c. tighten all the equipment connection
d. switch the patient to her tank of O2 - Answers - A
Question 11: On surveying a patient's home, you notice that four steps lead to the front
door. The patient's bedroom is upstairs, and his wife smokes about one pack of
cigarettes a day. You would recommend all of the following EXCEPT:
a. the patient's wife should stop smoking
b. the patient should use a cane when climbing stairs
, c. the patient's bedroom should be moved downstairs
d. a ramp should be added to facilitate entering through the front door - Answers - B
Question 12: When first visiting a home care patient's house, the therapist should
evaluate all of the following to attempt to eliminate risks associated with the patient's
performance of daily activities:
1. Bathroom facilities, including an assessment of ease of getting into and out of the
shower or bathtub
2. Television and remote control for operation
3. Kitchen facilities, including all cooking and eating utensils placed within arm's reac
4. Properly cleaned HEPA filtration system
a. 1 only
b. 1, 2, 3, and 4
c. 3 and 4
d. 1 and 2 - Answers - D
Question 13: In attempts to determine the daily exercise tolerance of a male COPD
patient, all of the following questions might be asked EXCEPT:
a. How far can you walk your pet dog around the yard?
b. Are you able to shave every day?
c. Is your wife or a relative able to drive you to the grocery store?
d. How many flights of stairs can you climb before you have to stop? - Answers - c.
Question 14: The main goal of a pulmonary rehabilitation program should be to:
a. Reduce the amount of sputum coughed out every day
b. Return the patient to his or her highest possible level of functioning
c. Reduce the amount of supplemental O2 needed
d. Increase the patient's appetite to achieve weight gain - Answers - b
Question 15: The neonate less than 72 hours old with pulmonary problems should have
its PaO2 kept in the __________ range on the lowest possible inspired oxygen level.
a. 40-45 torr
b. 45-50 torr
c. 60-70 torr
d. 80-90 torr - Answers - c
Question 16:If you observe that your patient has apnea spells leading to bradycardia,
you should
a. start CPAP
b. start mechanical ventilation
c. start an aerosolized bronchodilator
d. give endotracheal surfactant - Answers - B
Question 17: An actively moving neonate is receiving 7 cm water CPAP by nasal prongs
with 40% oxygen at a flow of 4 LPM. It is noticed that the CPAP pressure is variable
between 4 and 7 cm water. What is the most likely cause of this?
Question 1: A medical student is assigned to care for a patient with a smoking history
and who is suspected of having emphysema. She asks for recommendations on what
tests might be used to help determine the diagnosis. You would recommend all of the
following EXCEPT:
a. Pulmonary function testing
b. Chest radiograph
c. Chest ultrasound
d. Arterial blood gas - Answers - C. Chest Ultrasound
Question 2: A patient is performing a stress test. Which of the following respiratory
exchange ratio values would confirm that the patient has reached the anaerobic
threshold?
0.8
0.9
1.0
1.1 - Answers - c. 1.0
Question 3: A patient is referred for a sleep study. The attending physician wants to
know which parameters are measured during the study. You would measure all of the
following EXCEPT:
SpO2
ECG
Inspiratory and expiratory breathing efforts
ABG values - Answers - C and D
Question 4: When preparing to assist the physician with the cardioversion of a patient,
you must check the following:
A. A strong R wave should be seen on the ECG monitor
B. The charge level should be set as ordered
C. The electric paddles should be kept clean for the best possible conduction
D. Ensure that the ECG electrodes are attached properly - Answers - A,B,D
Question 5: Your mechanically ventilated patient is going to have a flexible fiberoptic
bronchoscopy performed. Of what kinds of considerations must you be aware?
a. The VT must be monitored for a leak
b. The inspiratory flow resistance will increase
c. The inspiratory pressure will decrease
d. The inspiratory pressure will increase - Answers - A, B, and D
Question 6:After a sleep study has been performed, your patient is given a diagnosis of
obstructive sleep apnea. His physician asks for your advice on the best method of
management. You would recommend that
,a. The patient should use nasal CPAP when sleeping.
b. The patient should sleep with an oropharyngeal airway to keep the tongue forward in
the mouth.
c. The patient should always sleep on his back.
d. A tracheostomy should be performed, and the patient should be placed on a volume-
cycled ventilator to sleep. - Answers - A
Question 7: Your patient is being mechanically ventilated when the nurse calls you to
evaluate the patient's condition. You discover that her breath sounds are absent over
the left lung field, the left-sided percussion note is hyperresonant, and peak airway
pressures have increased from 40 to 65 cm H2O. What would you recommend?
a. Place a pleural chest tube into the right side.
b. Increase the VT to better inflate the atelectatic left lung.
c. Change the mode to synchronous intermittent mechanical ventilation from
assist/control.
d. Place a pleural chest tube into the left side. - Answers - D
Question 8: After instructing a home care patient on the use of her small volume
nebulizer, you want to be sure that she understands how to fill and clean it. How could
you confirm this?
a. Have the patient demonstrate use of the nebulizer to you
b. Have the patient's boyfriend demonstrate use of the nebulizer to you.
c. Have the patient answer your questions about the nebulizer
d. Have the patient tell you how the equipment is assembled and cleaned. - Answers -
a,c,d
Question 9: Your patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is starting
a pulmonary rehabilitation program and taking her first 6MW test. If she should
desaturate, at what pulse oximeter reading would supplemental oxygen be indicated?
a. <96%
b. <90%
c. <88%
d. <84% - Answers - c
Question 10: A home care patient tells you that she cannot feel O2 coming to her nasal
cannula from the O2 concentrator. You would do all of the following EXCEPT:
a. refill the humidifier bottle with sterile water
b. place the cannula prongs underwater to see if there is any bubbling of gas
c. tighten all the equipment connection
d. switch the patient to her tank of O2 - Answers - A
Question 11: On surveying a patient's home, you notice that four steps lead to the front
door. The patient's bedroom is upstairs, and his wife smokes about one pack of
cigarettes a day. You would recommend all of the following EXCEPT:
a. the patient's wife should stop smoking
b. the patient should use a cane when climbing stairs
, c. the patient's bedroom should be moved downstairs
d. a ramp should be added to facilitate entering through the front door - Answers - B
Question 12: When first visiting a home care patient's house, the therapist should
evaluate all of the following to attempt to eliminate risks associated with the patient's
performance of daily activities:
1. Bathroom facilities, including an assessment of ease of getting into and out of the
shower or bathtub
2. Television and remote control for operation
3. Kitchen facilities, including all cooking and eating utensils placed within arm's reac
4. Properly cleaned HEPA filtration system
a. 1 only
b. 1, 2, 3, and 4
c. 3 and 4
d. 1 and 2 - Answers - D
Question 13: In attempts to determine the daily exercise tolerance of a male COPD
patient, all of the following questions might be asked EXCEPT:
a. How far can you walk your pet dog around the yard?
b. Are you able to shave every day?
c. Is your wife or a relative able to drive you to the grocery store?
d. How many flights of stairs can you climb before you have to stop? - Answers - c.
Question 14: The main goal of a pulmonary rehabilitation program should be to:
a. Reduce the amount of sputum coughed out every day
b. Return the patient to his or her highest possible level of functioning
c. Reduce the amount of supplemental O2 needed
d. Increase the patient's appetite to achieve weight gain - Answers - b
Question 15: The neonate less than 72 hours old with pulmonary problems should have
its PaO2 kept in the __________ range on the lowest possible inspired oxygen level.
a. 40-45 torr
b. 45-50 torr
c. 60-70 torr
d. 80-90 torr - Answers - c
Question 16:If you observe that your patient has apnea spells leading to bradycardia,
you should
a. start CPAP
b. start mechanical ventilation
c. start an aerosolized bronchodilator
d. give endotracheal surfactant - Answers - B
Question 17: An actively moving neonate is receiving 7 cm water CPAP by nasal prongs
with 40% oxygen at a flow of 4 LPM. It is noticed that the CPAP pressure is variable
between 4 and 7 cm water. What is the most likely cause of this?
