Chapter 10, Airway Management - Online Quiz

Question 1

A 19-year-old female is found unconscious by her roommate. Your primary assessment reveals that her breathing is inadequate. As you insert an oropharyngeal airway, she begins to gag violently. You should:

Select one:
A. insert the airway no further but leave it in place as a bite block.
B. continue to insert the airway as you suction her oropharynx.
C. select a smaller oropharyngeal airway and attempt to insert it.
D. remove the airway and be prepared to suction her oropharynx.

Answer 1

D. remove the airway and be prepared to suction her oropharynx.

Question 2

A man was found unresponsive in his bed at home. There is no evidence of injury and the patient’s medical history is not known. The patient’s face is cyanotic, yet the pulse oximeter reads 98%. Which of the following would MOST likely explain this?

Select one:
A. Carbon monoxide poisoning
B. Increased body temperature
C. His extremities are cold
D. Severe pulmonary edema

Answer 2

A. Carbon monoxide poisoning

Question 3

A patient who is suspected of being hypoxic and is breathing adequately should be given supplemental oxygen with a:

Select one:
A. nonrebreathing mask.
B. mouth-to-mask device.
C. nasal cannula.
D. bag-valve mask.

Answer 3

A. nonrebreathing mask.

Question 4

During your assessment of a patient with respiratory distress, you hear wheezing when listening to breath sounds. This indicates:

Select one:
A. fluid in the alveoli.
B. swelling of the upper airway.
C. a lower airway obstruction.
D. secretions in the airway.

Answer 4

C. a lower airway obstruction.

Question 5

How does CPAP improve oxygenation and ventilation in patients with certain respiratory problems?

Select one:
A. It decreases intrathoracic pressure, which allows more room for lung expansion.
B. It prevents alveolar collapse by pushing air into the lungs during inhalation.
C. It pushes thick, infected pulmonary secretions into isolated areas of the lung.
D. It forces the alveoli open and pushes oxygen across the alveolar membrane.

Answer 5

D. It forces the alveoli open and pushes oxygen across the alveolar membrane.

Question 6

In which of the following patients would the head tilt–chin lift maneuver be the MOST appropriate method of opening the airway?

Select one:
A. A 45-year-old male who is semiconscious after falling 20 feet
B. A 37-year-old female who is found unconscious in her bed
C. A 50-year-old male who is unconscious following head trauma
D. A 24-year-old male who is found unconscious at the base of a tree

Answer 6

B. A 37-year-old female who is found unconscious in her bed

Question 7

Irregular respirations characterized by an increasing rate and depth of breathing followed by periods of apnea are called:

Select one:
A. eupneic respirations.
B. agonal respirations.
C. Cheyne-Stokes respirations.
D. ataxic respirations.

Answer 7

C. Cheyne-Stokes respirations.

Question 8

The nasopharyngeal airway is MOST beneficial because it:

Select one:
A. can effectively stabilize fractured nasal bones if it is inserted properly.
B. is generally well tolerated in conscious patients with an intact gag reflex.
C. effectively maintains the airway of a patient in cardiopulmonary arrest.
D. can maintain a patent airway in a semiconscious patient with a gag reflex.

Answer 8

D. can maintain a patent airway in a semiconscious patient with a gag reflex.

Question 9

The physical act of moving air into and out of the lungs is called:

Select one:
A. oxygenation.
B. respiration.
C. diffusion.
D. ventilation.

Answer 9

D. ventilation.

Question 10

What occurs when a patient is breathing very rapidly and shallowly?

Select one:
A. Air moves primarily in the anatomic dead space and does not participate in pulmonary gas exchange.
B. The majority of tidal volume reaches the lungs and diffuses across the alveolar–capillary membrane.
C. Air is forcefully drawn into the lungs due to the negative pressure created by the rapid respirations.
D. Minute volume increases because of a marked increase in both tidal volume and respiratory rate.

Answer 10

A. Air moves primarily in the anatomic dead space and does not participate in pulmonary gas exchange.

Question 11

When testing a mechanical suctioning unit, you should turn on the device, clamp the tubing, and ensure that it generates a vacuum pressure of more than:

Select one:
A. 300 mm Hg.
B. 200 mm Hg.
C. 100 mm Hg.
D. 400 mm Hg.

Answer 11

A. 300 mm Hg.

Question 12

Which of the following is the MOST reliable indicator of adequately performed bag-valve mask ventilations in an apneic adult with a pulse?

Select one:
A. Consistently increasing heart rate
B. Decreased compliance when squeezing the bag
C. Adequate rise of the chest when squeezing the bag
D. Twenty breaths/min being delivered to the adult

Answer 12

C. Adequate rise of the chest when squeezing the bag

Question 13

Which of the following patients is breathing adequately?

Select one:
A. An unconscious 52-year-old female with snoring respirations and cool, pale skin
B. A conscious female with facial cyanosis and rapid, shallow respirations
C. A conscious male with respirations of 19 breaths/min and pink skin
D. A conscious male with respirations of 18 breaths/min and reduced tidal volume

Answer 13

C. A conscious male with respirations of 19 breaths/min and pink skin

Question 14

Which of the following patients should you place in the recovery position?

Select one:
A. A 19-year-old conscious male with a closed head injury and normal respirations
B. A 31-year-old semiconscious male with low blood sugar and adequate breathing
C. A 24-year-old unconscious female who overdosed and has a reduced tidal volume
D. A 40-year-old conscious female with a possible neck injury and regular respirations

Answer 14

B. A 31-year-old semiconscious male with low blood sugar and adequate breathing

Question 15

Which of the following statements regarding breathing adequacy is correct?

Select one:
A. Patients with a grossly irregular breathing pattern usually do not require assisted ventilation.
B. Patients breathing shallowly may require assisted ventilation despite a normal respiratory rate.
C. The single most reliable sign of breathing adequacy in the adult is his or her respiratory rate.
D. A patient with slow respirations and adequate depth will experience an increase in minute volume.

Answer 15

B. Patients breathing shallowly may require assisted ventilation despite a normal respiratory rate.

Question 16

Which of the following statements regarding normal gas exchange in the lungs is correct?

Select one:
A. Oxygen and carbon dioxide diffuse across the alveolar walls and capillaries.
B. The oxygen content in the alveoli is highest during the exhalation phase.
C. The actual exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide occurs in the capillaries.
D. Blood that returns to the lungs from the body has low levels of carbon dioxide.

Answer 16

A. Oxygen and carbon dioxide diffuse across the alveolar walls and capillaries.

Question 17

Which of the following statements regarding oxygen is correct?

Select one:
A. Oxygen is flammable and may explode if under high pressure.
B. Oxygen cylinders must always remain in an upright position.
C. Oxygen is most safely administered in an enclosed environment.
D. Oxygen supports the combustion process and may cause a fire.

Answer 17

D. Oxygen supports the combustion process and may cause a fire.

Question 18

Which of the following structures is NOT found in the upper airway?

Select one:
A. Pharynx
B. Larynx
C. Oropharynx
D. Bronchus

Answer 18

D. Bronchus

Question 19

You are performing mouth-to-mask ventilations with oxygen connected and set at a flow rate of 15 L/min. What percentage of oxygen is your patient receiving?

Select one:
A. 75%
B. 65%
C. 45%
D. 55%

Answer 19

D. 55%

Question 20

You are ventilating a patient with a stoma; however, air is escaping from the mouth and nose. To prevent this, you should:

Select one:
A. thoroughly suction the stoma.
B. ventilate with less pressure.
C. thrust the jaw forward.
D. seal the mouth and nose.

Answer 20

D. seal the mouth and nose.