A client with a history of COPD is being assessed. When the nurse percusses the client's chest, which characteristic sound is expected?

Tympany

Hyperresonance

Resonance

Dullness

Answer and Explanation

The Correct Answer is B

Choice a reason:
Tympany is a drum-like, resonant sound that is typically heard over air-filled structures, such as the gastric bubble, not the chest. It is not a sound associated with the lungs, especially in the context of COPD.

Choice b reason:
Hyperresonance is an abnormally loud, lower-pitched sound than normal resonance heard over hyperinflated areas of the lung, such as in cases of COPD. This is due to the increased air content within the lungs, often because of overdistension or destruction of alveolar tissue, as seen in emphysema, a common type of COPD.

Choice c reason:
Resonance is the normal sound heard over healthy lung tissue when percussed. However, in the case of COPD, particularly emphysema, the destruction of lung tissue leads to hyperinflation and thus a hyperresonant sound rather than the normal resonance.

Choice d reason:
Dullness is heard when fluid or solid tissue replaces air in the lung or occupies the pleural space, as in the case of pneumonia or pleural effusion. This is not characteristic of COPD, where there is an increase in air due to the breakdown of alveolar walls.

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Correct Answer is C

Explanation

Choice a reason:
Rhonchi are coarse, rattling respiratory sounds somewhat like snoring, usually caused by obstruction or secretion in the larger airways. They are not considered normal breath sounds and are typically heard in conditions such as chronic bronchitis.

Choice b reason:
Crackles are the sounds you will hear in a lung field that has fluid in the small airways. These sounds are commonly heard in patients with pneumonia, heart failure, and restrictive pulmonary diseases. They are not normal breath sounds.

Choice c reason:
Bronchovesicular sounds are normal breath sounds heard over the main bronchus area and over the upper right posterior lung field. They have a medium pitch and intensity and are heard on both inspiration and expiration. In a healthy individual, these sounds are expected to be heard in the 1st and 2nd intercostal spaces near the sternal body.

Choice d reason:
Tracheal breath sounds are harsh, high-pitched sounds heard when auscultating over the trachea in the neck. They are not normally heard over the intercostal spaces of the chest wall.

A. Assist the client to a sitting position. B. Percuss the region before auscultating. C. Reduce all environmental noise. D. Palpate the region before auscultating.

Correct Answer is C

Explanation

Choice a reason:
Assisting the client to a sitting position is not the best action to ensure that bowel sounds can be heard. For abdominal auscultation, the patient should be lying down in a supine position to relax the abdominal muscles, which facilitates the hearing of bowel sounds.

Choice b reason:
Percussion of the abdomen before auscultation is not recommended as the best initial action. Percussion can stimulate bowel motility, which may alter the natural bowel sounds that the nurse is attempting to assess.

Choice c reason:
Reducing all environmental noise is the best action to ensure that bowel sounds can be heard clearly. Environmental noise can mask the subtle sounds of bowel motility, and minimizing distractions allows for a more accurate assessment of bowel activity.

Choice d reason:
Palpating the region before auscultating is not the best action because palpation can also stimulate bowel motility and potentially alter the bowel sounds. Auscultation should be performed before palpation during the abdominal examination to avoid this issue.

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A client with a history of COPD is being assessed. When the nurse percusses the client's chest, which characteristic sound is expected?

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Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams

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Correct Answer is C

Explanation

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Correct Answer is C

Explanation

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