Respiratory — MCQs

A 75-year-old woman with hypertension presents to your office for a routine health exam. Her medications include hydrochlorothiazide and a multivitamin. She has been feeling well; however, she mentions that her family has been complaining about the volume of the television. She also reports difficulty hearing when others have called her name. On physical examination, her temperature is 99°F (37.2°C), blood pressure is 120/85 mmHg, pulse is 70/min, respirations are 17/min, and pulse oximetry is 99% on room air. The tympanic membrane is gray with no drainage or granulation tissue. Audiometry is consistent with high frequency sensorineural hearing loss. Which of the following is the most likely physiology behind this patient’s presentation?

A 55-year-old man presents with an unremitting cough and swelling of the lower limbs for the past 2 weeks. He says he has had a chronic cough for years, however, he feels it is getting worse. He reports a 30-pack-year smoking history. Physical examination reveals mild central cyanosis and expiratory wheezes throughout the chest. Oxygen therapy is ordered immediately but, soon after administering it, his respiratory rate starts to slow down and he becomes drowsy. Dysfunction of which of the following receptors most likely led to this patient’s current condition?

A previously healthy 21-year-old man comes to the physician for the evaluation of lethargy, headache, and nausea for 2 months. His headache is holocephalic and most severe upon waking up. He is concerned about losing his spot on next season's college track team, given a recent decline in his performance during winter training. He recently moved into a new house with friends, where he lives in the basement. He does not smoke or drink alcohol. His current medications include ibuprofen and a multivitamin. His mother has systemic lupus erythematosus and his father has hypertension. His temperature is 37°C (98.6°F), pulse is 80/min, respirations are 18/min, and blood pressure is 122/75 mm Hg. Pulse oximetry on room air shows an oxygen saturation of 98%. Physical examination shows no abnormalities. Laboratory studies show: Hemoglobin 19.6 g/dL Hematocrit 59.8% Leukocyte count 9,000/mm3 Platelet count 380,000/mm3 Which of the following is the most likely cause of this patient's symptoms?

A 19-year-old male soccer player undergoes an exercise tolerance test to measure his maximal oxygen uptake during exercise. Which of the following changes are most likely to occur during exercise?

A 55-year-old man with recurrent pneumonia comes to the physician for a follow-up examination one week after hospitalization for pneumonia. He feels well but still has a productive cough. He has smoked 1 pack of cigarettes daily for 5 years. His temperature is 36.9°C (98.4°F) and respirations are 20/min. Cardiopulmonary examination shows coarse crackles at the right lung base. Microscopic examination of a biopsy specimen of the right lower lung parenchyma shows proliferation of clustered, cuboidal, foamy-appearing cells. These cells are responsible for which of the following functions?

A 20-year-old woman is brought to the emergency department with a puncture wound on the right side of her chest. She was walking to her apartment when she was assaulted. As she resisted to give up her purse, the assailant stabbed her in the chest with a knife and ran away. She is in severe respiratory distress. Her heart rate is 140/min, respiratory rate is 28/min, and blood pressure is 145/65 mm Hg. The pulse oximetry shows an oxygen saturation of 84%. An oval puncture wound is seen on the right lateral aspect of her chest and she is stuporous. The heart sounds are normal and no jugular venous distension is seen. Distant breath sounds are present on the right. Which of the following changes during inspiration explains her breathing difficulty?

A 2-year-old boy is brought to the physician because of coughing and difficulty breathing that started shortly after his mother found him in the living room playing with his older brother's toys. He appears anxious. Respirations are 33/min and pulse oximetry on room air shows an oxygen saturation of 88%. Physical examination shows nasal flaring and intercostal retractions. Auscultation of the lungs shows a high-pitched inspiratory wheeze and absent breath sounds on the right side. There is no improvement in his oxygen saturation after applying a non-rebreather mask with 100% FiO2. Which of the following terms best describes the most likely underlying mechanism of the right lung's impaired ventilation?

A 23-year-old man who lives in a beach house in Florida visits his twin brother who lives in the Rocky Mountains. They are out hiking and the visitor struggles to keep up with his brother. Which of the following adaptations is most likely present in the mountain-dwelling brother relative to his twin?

A 2-year-old boy is brought to his pediatrician’s office with complaints of watery diarrhea for the past 2 weeks. He has had a couple of episodes of watery diarrhea in the past, but this is the first time it failed to subside over the course of a few days. His father tells the doctor that the child has frothy stools with a distinct foul odor. Other than diarrhea, his parents also mention that he has had several bouts of the flu over the past 2 years and has also been hospitalized twice with pneumonia. On examination, the child is underweight and seems to be pale and dehydrated. His blood pressure is 80/50 mm Hg, the pulse rate of 110/min, and the respiratory rate is 18/min. Auscultation of the lungs reveals rhonchi. Which of the following is the most likely cause of this patient’s symptoms?

A 57-year-old man presents to the clinic for a chronic cough over the past 4 months. The patient reports a productive yellow/green cough that is worse at night. He denies any significant precipitating event prior to his symptoms. He denies fever, chest pain, palpitations, weight changes, or abdominal pain, but endorses some difficulty breathing that waxes and wanes. He denies alcohol usage but endorses a 35 pack-year smoking history. A physical examination demonstrates mild wheezes, bibasilar crackles, and mild clubbing of his fingertips. A pulmonary function test is subsequently ordered, and partial results are shown below: Tidal volume: 500 mL Residual volume: 1700 mL Expiratory reserve volume: 1500 mL Inspiratory reserve volume: 3000 mL What is the functional residual capacity of this patient?