EMERGENCY CARE IN THE STREETS
CHAPTER 16 - RESPIRATORY
EMERGENCIES QUESTIONS WITH
VERIFIED ANSWERS BY EXPERTS
k______ are the tiny saclike units in which gas exchange occurs - Alveoli
The trunk of the tracheobronchial tree is the _____, or windpipe, which carries air to the lungs. The
trachea extends about ____-____", from the larynx to the left and right mainstem bronchi - Trachea, 4-5"
The ridgelike point at which the tracheal cartilage bifurcates is called the ______. It is roughly the level of
the ____ intercostal space - Carina, 5th
In adults, the ______ mainstem bronchus typically branches at a less acute angle than the _____. This
explains why an ET tube advanced to far almost always ends up in the ______ mainstem bronchus, as
well as aspirated materials - Right, left, right
The right lung has ____ lobes, the left has ____ lobes - 3, 2
All airways that do not participate in gas exchange represent _____ _____ - Dead space
Gas transfer is most efficient in the alveoli, but a significant amount is also exchanged across the
respiratory ______ - Bronchioles
Once foreign material reaches the terminal bronchioles and alveoli, parts of the lung collectively known
as the lung _______, it may never come out. Common substances include coal dust, asbestos fibers, and
contaminants in cigarette smoke - Parenchyma
Bronchoconstriction occurs when the _____ muscle narrows the larger airways - Smooth
,Wheezing that resolves with administration of bronchodilator medication was probably caused by the
_______ of the smooth muscle - Constriction
Wheezing not resolved by bronchodilator medications may have been caused by a pathologic condition
______ in the tracheobronchial tree - Deeper
Blood flows from the heart to the lungs via the _____ _____, which branches into smaller arteries,
arterioles, and finally capillaries - Pulmonary artery
The lung bases have more capillaries than the apices do, so more gas exchange takes place between the
lung ______ and the circulatory system than between the ______ and the circulatory system - Bases,
apices
Problems in the ______ of lungs impair ventilation more than do problems affecting the ______ - Bases,
apices
People with chronic lung disease and chronic hypoxia often generate a surplus of _____ over time, which
makes their blood thick - RBCs
Patients with ______ have viscous blood. The effort to push this blood through the tiny pulmonary
capillaries can place a significant strain on the _____ side of the heart - Polycythemia, right
When the alveoli are distended by _____, they push against capillary bed, further narrowing the
capillaries and straining the right side of the heart. Right-sided heart failure that occurs because of
chronic lung disease is known as _____ _____ - COPD, Cor pulmonale
______ refers to the circulatory component of the respiratory system - Perfusion
_____-sided heart failure typically progresses much faster than does _____-sided heart failure - Left,
right (may slowly worsen over many days)
, The body's immediate response to mild hypoxemia is to increase the heart rate. Severe hypoxia often
causes ______. Any uncorrected hypoxic insult may trigger a fatal cardiac dysrhytmia - Bradycardia
The body is designed to take in air by means of ______ pressure - Negative
Any traumatic opening of the thorax provides an alternative route for air to be sucked in. This air ends up
in the _____ space, resulting in a sucking chest wound - Pleural
When multiple ribs are broken in more than one place (____ ____), free-floating sections of thorax are
pulled in as the patient breathes (_____ _____) - Flail chest, paradoxical movement
Fluid balance, acid-base balance, and B/P are controlled, in part, by the ______. Each of these factors
also affects the pulmonary mechanics and the delivery of O2 to the tissues - Kidneys
When the lungs fail to work properly, the body cannot efficiently dispose of CO2, and it accumulates in
the blood. This excess CO2 combines with water to form _____ ions and _____ ions, also known as
_____ _____. Results in acidosis - Bicarbonate, hydrogen, carbonic acid
Obesity hypoventilation syndrome (also known as ______ syndrome) is respiratory compromise caused
by morbid obesity - Pickwickian syndrome
Serious injury to the spinal cord above the level of the ____ cervical vertebra may block the phrenic
nerve impulses that stimulate breathing - 5th
_____-_____ syndrome, characterized by progressive muscle weakness and paralysis advancing up the
body from the feet, can result in ineffective breathing if the paralysis reaches the diaphragm - Guillain-
Barre
_____ _____ _____ (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig disease) also causes progressive muscle weakness.
This disease is fatal, with death usually attributable to respiratory failure as the muscles of respiration
become unable to maintain adequate ventilation - Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)