Airways
What tiny structures are the primary site for gas exchange in the lungs?
What are alveoli?
What type of pressure keeps the lungs expanded?
What is negative intrapleural pressure?
What part of the brain controls the rate and depth of breathing?
What is the medulla oblongata?
What type of infection causes alveoli to fill with exudate, impairing gas exchange?
What is pneumonia?
What is the non-invasive tool used to measure oxygen saturation?
What is pulse oximetry?
What substance reduces surface tension in the alveoli and prevents collapse?
What is surfactant?
What happens when fluid or air enters the pleural space?
What is loss of negative pressure leading to lung collapse?
What receptors respond to changes in blood pH and CO₂ levels?
What are chemoreceptors?
What airborne disease forms granulomas in lung tissue?
What is tuberculosis?
What lung sound is commonly heard in pneumonia?
What are crackles?
What is the term for lung collapse resulting in no gas exchange?
What is atelectasis?
What is the term for abnormal fluid in the pleural space?
What is pleural effusion?
What is the normal V/Q ratio?
What is 0.8?
What chronic respiratory disorder causes bronchoconstriction and mucus production in response to triggers?
What is asthma?
What diagnostic test confirms a pleural effusion?
What is a chest X-ray?
What clinical sign might indicate hypoxemia due to alveolar collapse or poor gas exchange?
What is a change in level of consciousness (LOC)?
What is the difference between transudative and exudative pleural effusion?
Transudative = fluid shift (CHF); Exudative = infection/inflammation.
A low V/Q ratio indicates what type of problem?
What is a ventilation issue (e.g., atelectasis or airway obstruction)?
What is the pathophysiology of emphysema?
Destruction of alveolar walls and loss of elasticity, causing air trapping.
What respiratory pattern is often seen in COPD patients with emphysema?
What is prolonged expiration and pursed-lip breathing?
Name two assessment findings that might indicate impaired gas exchange.
What are low oximetry readings and respiratory difficulty (e.g., dyspnea)?
What type of pneumothorax allows air to enter but not exit, causing a shift of mediastinal structures?
What is a tension pneumothorax?
What factors affect hemoglobin’s affinity for oxygen?
What are pH and temperature?
What are the three components of Virchow’s triad related to pulmonary embolism formation?
Venous stasis, endothelial injury, and hypercoagulability.
Name three key nursing priorities for patients with respiratory disorders.
What are early recognition, airway maintenance, and infection control?