MED SURGE EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS A VERIFIED BY EXPERTS
Chapter 17:
• Which hollow tube transports air from the laryngeal pharynx to the bronchi?
a. Trachea (Pg 464)
• A nurse is discussing squamous epithelial cells lining each alveolus, which consist
of different types of cells. Which type of alveolar cells produce surfactant?
a. Type II Cells (Pg 465)
• A physician has ordered that a client with suspected lung cancer undergo
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The nurse explains the benefits of this study to
the client. What is the reason the client with suspected lung cancer would
undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)?
a. MRI can view soft tissues and help stage cancers. (Pg 489)
• A nurse is instructing the client on the normal sensations that can occur when
contrast medium is infused during pulmonary angiography. Which client statement
demonstrates an understanding of the teaching?
a. “I will feel warm and may have chest pain.” (Pg 489)
• The nurse is performing chest auscultation for a patient with asthma. How does
the nurse describe the high-pitched, sibilant, musical sounds that are heard?
a. Wheezes (Pg 483)
• The nurse is assessing the lungs of a patient diagnosed with pulmonary edema. Which
of the following would be expected upon auscultation?
a. Crackles at lung bases (Pg 484)
• The amount of air inspired and expired with each breath is called:
,MED SURGE EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS A VERIFIED BY EXPERTS
a. Tidal Volume (Pg 485)
• A patient diagnosed with diabetic ketoacidosis would be expected to have which type
of respiratory pattern?
a. Kussmaul Respirations (Pg 479)
• A nurse is preparing a client for bronchoscopy. Which instruction should the nurse
give to the client?
a. Do not eat or drink for 6 hours before the procedure (Pg 490)
• The nurse is admitting a client who just had a bronchoscopy. Which assessment
should be the nurse's priority?
a. Swallow Reflex (Pg 490)
• The nurse is caring for a client whose respiratory status has declined since shift
report. The client has tachypnea, is restless, and displays cyanosis. Which diagnostic
test should the nurse perform first?
a. Pulse Ox (Pg 487)
• Which assessment finding would be most consistent with advanced emphysema?
a. Barrel-Shaped Chest (Pg 477)
• The nurse is caring for a client with suspected lung cancer. Which imaging study is
more accurate than computed tomography in detecting malignancies?
a. PET (Pg 490)
,MED SURGE EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS A VERIFIED BY EXPERTS
• Which term will the nurse use to document the inability of a client to breathe
easily unless positioned upright?
a. Orthopnea (Pg 471)
• A nurse practitioner diagnosed a patient with an infection in the maxillary sinuses.
Select the area that the nurse palpated to make that diagnosis.
a. On the cheeks below the eyes (Pg 476)
• A patient comes to the emergency department complaining of a knifelike pain
when taking a deep breath. What does this type of pain likely indicate to the nurse?
a. Pleurisy (Pg 473)
• The nurse is caring for a client with recurrent hemoptysis who has undergone a
bronchoscopy. Immediately following the procedure, the nurse should complete
which action?
a. Assess the client cough reflex (Pg 491)
• A nurse caring for a patient with a pulmonary embolism understands that a
high ventilation–perfusion ratio may exist. What does this mean for the
patient?
a. Ventilation exceeds perfusion (Pg 468)
• The nurse is in the radiology unit of the hospital. The nurse is caring for a client who
is scheduled for a lung scan. The nurse knows that lung scans need the use of
radioisotopes and a scanning machine. Before the perfusion scan, what must the
client be assessed for?
a. Iodine Allergy (Pg 489)
• The nursing instructor is teaching students about the respiratory system. The
, MED SURGE EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS A VERIFIED BY EXPERTS
instructor knows the teaching has been effective when a student makes which
statement?
a. “Ventilation is the movement of air in and out of the respiratory tract” (Pg 466)
• The nurse is caring for a client diagnosed with pneumonia. The nurse assesses the
client for tactile fremitus by completing which action?
a. “ Asking the client to repeat “ninety-nine” as the nurse’s hands move down
the clients thorax (Pg 482)
• A nurse working in the radiology clinic is assisting with a client after an unusual
arterial procedure. What assessment should the nurse notify the health care provider
about?
a. Absent distal pulses (Pg 489)
• A hospitalized client with terminal heart failure is nearing the end of life. The
nurse observes which of the following breathing patterns?
a. Cheyne-Stokes: vVv vVv (Pg 479)
• The nurse is caring for a client who is to undergo a thoracentesis. In preparation for
the procedure, the nurse places the client in which position?
a. Sitting on the edge of the bed (Pg 492)
• A nurse is concerned that a client may develop postoperative atelectasis. Which
nursing diagnosis would be most appropriate if this complication occurs?
a. Impaired gas exchange (Pg 491)
• The nurse receives an order to obtain a sputum sample from a client with
hemoptysis. When advising the client of the physician’s order, the client states not
being able to produce sputum. Which suggestion, offered by the nurse, is helpful
Chapter 17:
• Which hollow tube transports air from the laryngeal pharynx to the bronchi?
a. Trachea (Pg 464)
• A nurse is discussing squamous epithelial cells lining each alveolus, which consist
of different types of cells. Which type of alveolar cells produce surfactant?
a. Type II Cells (Pg 465)
• A physician has ordered that a client with suspected lung cancer undergo
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The nurse explains the benefits of this study to
the client. What is the reason the client with suspected lung cancer would
undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)?
a. MRI can view soft tissues and help stage cancers. (Pg 489)
• A nurse is instructing the client on the normal sensations that can occur when
contrast medium is infused during pulmonary angiography. Which client statement
demonstrates an understanding of the teaching?
a. “I will feel warm and may have chest pain.” (Pg 489)
• The nurse is performing chest auscultation for a patient with asthma. How does
the nurse describe the high-pitched, sibilant, musical sounds that are heard?
a. Wheezes (Pg 483)
• The nurse is assessing the lungs of a patient diagnosed with pulmonary edema. Which
of the following would be expected upon auscultation?
a. Crackles at lung bases (Pg 484)
• The amount of air inspired and expired with each breath is called:
,MED SURGE EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS A VERIFIED BY EXPERTS
a. Tidal Volume (Pg 485)
• A patient diagnosed with diabetic ketoacidosis would be expected to have which type
of respiratory pattern?
a. Kussmaul Respirations (Pg 479)
• A nurse is preparing a client for bronchoscopy. Which instruction should the nurse
give to the client?
a. Do not eat or drink for 6 hours before the procedure (Pg 490)
• The nurse is admitting a client who just had a bronchoscopy. Which assessment
should be the nurse's priority?
a. Swallow Reflex (Pg 490)
• The nurse is caring for a client whose respiratory status has declined since shift
report. The client has tachypnea, is restless, and displays cyanosis. Which diagnostic
test should the nurse perform first?
a. Pulse Ox (Pg 487)
• Which assessment finding would be most consistent with advanced emphysema?
a. Barrel-Shaped Chest (Pg 477)
• The nurse is caring for a client with suspected lung cancer. Which imaging study is
more accurate than computed tomography in detecting malignancies?
a. PET (Pg 490)
,MED SURGE EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS A VERIFIED BY EXPERTS
• Which term will the nurse use to document the inability of a client to breathe
easily unless positioned upright?
a. Orthopnea (Pg 471)
• A nurse practitioner diagnosed a patient with an infection in the maxillary sinuses.
Select the area that the nurse palpated to make that diagnosis.
a. On the cheeks below the eyes (Pg 476)
• A patient comes to the emergency department complaining of a knifelike pain
when taking a deep breath. What does this type of pain likely indicate to the nurse?
a. Pleurisy (Pg 473)
• The nurse is caring for a client with recurrent hemoptysis who has undergone a
bronchoscopy. Immediately following the procedure, the nurse should complete
which action?
a. Assess the client cough reflex (Pg 491)
• A nurse caring for a patient with a pulmonary embolism understands that a
high ventilation–perfusion ratio may exist. What does this mean for the
patient?
a. Ventilation exceeds perfusion (Pg 468)
• The nurse is in the radiology unit of the hospital. The nurse is caring for a client who
is scheduled for a lung scan. The nurse knows that lung scans need the use of
radioisotopes and a scanning machine. Before the perfusion scan, what must the
client be assessed for?
a. Iodine Allergy (Pg 489)
• The nursing instructor is teaching students about the respiratory system. The
, MED SURGE EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS A VERIFIED BY EXPERTS
instructor knows the teaching has been effective when a student makes which
statement?
a. “Ventilation is the movement of air in and out of the respiratory tract” (Pg 466)
• The nurse is caring for a client diagnosed with pneumonia. The nurse assesses the
client for tactile fremitus by completing which action?
a. “ Asking the client to repeat “ninety-nine” as the nurse’s hands move down
the clients thorax (Pg 482)
• A nurse working in the radiology clinic is assisting with a client after an unusual
arterial procedure. What assessment should the nurse notify the health care provider
about?
a. Absent distal pulses (Pg 489)
• A hospitalized client with terminal heart failure is nearing the end of life. The
nurse observes which of the following breathing patterns?
a. Cheyne-Stokes: vVv vVv (Pg 479)
• The nurse is caring for a client who is to undergo a thoracentesis. In preparation for
the procedure, the nurse places the client in which position?
a. Sitting on the edge of the bed (Pg 492)
• A nurse is concerned that a client may develop postoperative atelectasis. Which
nursing diagnosis would be most appropriate if this complication occurs?
a. Impaired gas exchange (Pg 491)
• The nurse receives an order to obtain a sputum sample from a client with
hemoptysis. When advising the client of the physician’s order, the client states not
being able to produce sputum. Which suggestion, offered by the nurse, is helpful
