The mother of a 2-year-old toddler is concerned about the upcoming placement of tympanostomy tubes in her son's ears. The nurse would include which of these statements in the teaching plan?

A. Intercostals: The intercostal muscles, including the external and internal intercostals, are primary muscles of respiration. They play a crucial role in expanding and contracting the thoracic cavity during inhalation and exhalation, facilitating airflow into and out of the lungs.

B. Scalene: The scalene muscles assist in elevating the first two ribs during deep inhalation, making them accessory muscles of respiration rather than primary muscles. They support breathing but are not the main muscles involved in the normal respiratory cycle.

C. Sternomastoid: The sternocleidomastoid muscles are also considered accessory muscles of respiration. They help elevate the sternum during forced inhalation, but they are not classified as primary muscles of respiration, which are more involved in the regular breathing process.

D. Diaphragm: The diaphragm is the primary muscle of respiration and is crucial for normal breathing. It contracts and flattens during inhalation, increasing the volume of the thoracic cavity and allowing air to flow into the lungs. This muscle is essential for the majority of airflow during normal breathing.

E. Pectoralis major: The pectoralis major is primarily involved in shoulder movement and is not a primary muscle of respiration. Although it can assist during forceful inhalation when the arms are raised, it does not function as a main muscle in the respiratory process.

A. Bronchial breath sounds that are normal in that location: Bronchial breath sounds are high-pitched and louder, with expiration lasting longer than inspiration. They are normally heard over the trachea and not over the posterior lower lobes. If bronchial sounds are heard in the lower lung fields, it may indicate lung consolidation, such as in pneumonia.

B. Bronchovesicular breath sounds that are normal in that location: Bronchovesicular breath sounds are moderate in pitch and intensity, with inspiration and expiration being roughly equal in length. These sounds are typically heard over the major bronchi, near the sternum anteriorly and between the scapulae posteriorly, making them unlikely to be present in the posterior lower lobes.

C. Normal sounds auscultated over the trachea: Breath sounds heard over the trachea are expected to be bronchial, which are loud and high-pitched, with expiration lasting longer than inspiration. The low-pitched, soft sounds described do not match the normal tracheal breath sounds.

D. Vesicular breath sounds that are normal in that location: Vesicular breath sounds are soft and low-pitched, with inspiration lasting longer than expiration. They are the normal breath sounds heard over most of the peripheral lung fields, including the posterior lower lobes, confirming that these findings are normal.