A patient presents to the Emergency Room with swollen legs and shortness of breath. He tells you that he has a history of heart failure which causes the fluid to build up m his legs and lungs. When you listen to his lung sounds you are most likely to hear which type of breathing sounds?
Rales
Crackles
Rhonchi
Stridor
The Correct Answer is B
Crackles, also known as rales, are discontinuous sounds that are typically heard during inspiration in patients with heart failure. These sounds are produced by the sudden opening of small airways and alveoli that are filled with fluid or collapsed due to pulmonary congestion. The sound can be described as similar to the sound of rubbing hair between fingers or the sound of Velcro being pulled apart.
Rhonchi are continuous, low-pitched sounds that are typically heard during expiration and are caused by the movement of air through narrowed airways, such as in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Stridor is a high-pitched, continuous sound that is typically heard during inspiration and indicates upper airway obstruction, which can be life-threatening. Neither rhonchi nor stridor are typically heard in patients with heart failure.
Therefore, based on the patient's history and symptoms, the most likely type of breathing sound to be heard on auscultation is crackles/rales.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is A
Explanation
A. Respiratory acidosis.
COPD is a chronic lung disease that can lead to an accumulation of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the body. This can cause respiratory acidosis, a condition in which the blood pH is lower than normal due to an excess of CO2.
In respiratory acidosis, the partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO2) in the blood is increased and the pH is decreased. The kidneys atempt to compensate for the acidosis by excreting more acid in the urine and retaining more bicarbonate, but this compensation is usually not enough to fully correct the problem.
Metabolic alkalosis (option B) is a condition in which the blood pH is higher than normal due to an excess of bicarbonate in the blood. This is usually caused by loss of acid from the body, such as through vomiting or use of diuretics.
Respiratory alkalosis (option C) is a condition in which the blood pH is higher than normal due to a decrease in PaCO2. This can be caused by hyperventilation, which leads to excessive elimination of CO2 from the lungs.
Metabolic acidosis (option D) is a condition in which the blood pH is lower than normal due to an excess of acid in the blood. This can be caused by a variety of factors, including kidney failure or lactic acidosis.
Correct Answer is A
Explanation
This response provides the patient with accurate and reassuring information about the EKG procedure. It explains that the test is painless and describes what will happen during the test. The other responses do not provide as much information or reassurance to the patient.

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