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TMC Exam (Latest 2025/2026) Verified Answers by Expert
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A 13 year-old patient in the ED is complaining of dyspnea, chest tightness, and a loose productive cough. The patient has a respiratory rate of 28 breaths/minute and bilateral wheezing in the lungs. What treatment should the respiratory therapist initiate? A. levalbuterol B. oxygen C. salmeterol D. PEP - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS oxygen A 16 year-old patient with cystic fibrosis attends public high school. Which of the following bronchial hygiene therapies would be most appropriate for this patient? A. intrapulmonary percussive ventilation B. dornase alpha therapy C. vibratory / oscillatory PEP D. postural drainage and manual percussion - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS vibratory / oscillatory PEP A 19-year-old patient is brought to the emergency department after taking a handful of pills. The patient is obtunded but is making regular, sonorous respiratory efforts. Auscultation reveals coarse rhonchi bilaterally. Which of the following should be done FIRST to assess this patient? A. Obtain a sputum specimen. B. Obtain an ABG. C. Measure peak expiratory flow. D. Determine the Glasgow Coma Score. - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS Obtain an ABG. A 28 year-old female has just been admitted through the ED with suspected CO poisoning. She is receiving oxygen by non-rebreather mask at 10 L/min. Upon entering the patient's room, the respiratory therapist notes that the reservoir bag of the mask collapses during inspiration. This is most likely the result of A. faulty one-way valves. B. tight seal between the mask and the patient's face. C. presence of a bubble humidifier. D. insufficient flow to the reservoir bag. - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS insufficient flow to the reservoir bag.
A 30 year old male with bronchitis has coarse bilateral rales with a SpO2 of 90%. Despite a good cough effort, he has great difficulty in removing his thick secretions. The respiratory therapist should initiate A. aerosol treatments with 3 cc normal saline every 4 hours. B. sputum induction for gram stain. C. a heated humidifier and oxygen therapy. D. continuous ultrasonic via aerosol mask. - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS a heated humidifier and oxygen therapy. A 36 year-old fireman was trapped and subsequently rescued from the collapse of a burning building. Which of the following devices would be appropriate to accurately assess his oxygenation status? A. capnograph B. pulse oximeter C. blood gas analyzer D. hemoximeter - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS hemoximeter A 36 year-old patient is admitted to the ED with a temperature of 38.5° C and suspected pneumonia. The patient has no history of pulmonary disease. Auscultation reveal medium crackles throughout both lungs. Which of the following should be recommended for management of this patient? A. Pre/post bronchodilator study B. Ultrasonic nebulizer treatments C. Manually assisted coughing D. Regular coughing and deep breathing - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS Regular coughing and deep breathing A 42 year-old trauma patient in the ED has been intubated with a 6.5 mm oral endotracheal tube equipped with a high-residual-volume, low-pressure cuff. The respiratory therapist notes that a cuff pressure of 42 cm H2O is necessary to achieve a minimal occluding volume. This would indicate that the A. tube is not of the appropriate size. B. pilot balloon and line are obstructed. C. pressure manometer is defective. D. cuff has herniated over the tip of the tube. - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS tube is not of the appropriate size. A 44 year-old patient who suffered a cerebral vascular accident has been moved from Neuro-ICU to the step-down unit. He becomes diaphoretic and his SpO2 suddenly drops from 95% to 88% on a 32% tracheostomy collar. His heart rate is 115/min, respiratory rate is 42/min and his breath sounds are very diminished. The respiratory
C. Patient supine with a pillow under knees, bed flat D. Head down, patient prone with a pillow under hips - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS Head down, patient prone with a pillow under hips A 55 year-old male patient is being evaluated for pulmonary rehabilitation. During a cycle ergometer cardiopulmonary stress procedure, the patient has a heart rate of 100/min and a respiratory rate of 20/min. He suddenly begins to complain of chest pain and severe shortness of breath. The respiratory therapist should A. reduce the speed of the bike. B. administer supplemental oxygen. C. gradually reduce the workload and monitor closely. D. terminate the procedure immediately. - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS terminate the procedure immediately. A 55 year-old post cardiac surgery patient has the following ABG results: pH 7.50, PaCO2 30 torr, PaO2 62 torr, HCO3 25 mEq/L, SaO2 92%, HB 14 g/dL, BE +2. Venous blood gas results are pH 7.39, PvCO2 43 torr, PvO2 37 torr, and SvO2 66%. Calculate the patient's C(a-v)O2. A. 2.5 vol% B. 4.0 vol% C. 5.0 vol% D. 5.5 vol% - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS 5.0 vol% A 58 year-old male patient is receiving mechanical ventilation in the ICU on the following settings: VC,SIMV, VT 650 mL, f 12/min, FIO2 0.65, PEEP 10 cmH2O. He has a large amount of thick, yellow secretions. How should the respiratory therapist suction this patient? A. Limit suction time to 5 seconds or less. B. Use a closed-system suction catheter. C. Suction Q1H and PRN. D. Use a 10 Fr suction catheter. - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS Use a closed-system suction catheter. A 59 year-old post CABG patient has a C(a-v)O2 that has increased from 5 mL/dL to 8 mL/dL. The respiratory therapist should report to the physician that the patient's A. hemoglobin is increasing. B. cardiac output is decreasing. C. VD/VT ratio has increased. D. oxygen consumption has decreased. - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS cardiac output is decreasing.
A 60 kg (132 lb) female patient with congestive heart failure is receiving NPPV with an IPAP of 16 cm H2O, EPAP of 10 cm H2O, and FIO2 of 0.70. Available laboratory data includes: pH 7.40, PaCO2 42 torr; PaO2 145 torr; HCO3 26 mEq/L, SaO2 99%, CVP 10 cm H2O. Breath sounds reveal a few fine bibasilar crackles. This situation should be described as A. shunting. B. hypoventilation. C. hyperoxygenation. D. fluid overload. - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS hyperoxygenation A 60 kg (132 lb) patient is being mechanically ventilated with the following settings: VC, A/C; VT 500 mL, respiratory rate 12/min, FIO2 1.00 and 10 cm H2O PEEP. The patient's peak airway pressure is 60 cm H2O and his SpO2 is 85%. A current chest x- ray shows diffuse bilateral infiltrates. Which of the following is the most appropriate action in order to reduce peak airway pressure? A. Increase the frequency. B. Change to airway pressure release ventilation. C. Decrease the inspiratory time. D. Increase PEEP to 15 cm H2O. - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS Change to airway pressure release ventilation. A 60 year-old male has just been extubated following coronary artery bypass grafting. His chest X-ray demonstrates platelike infiltrates with scattered densities and he is noted to have decreased chest expansion with an increased respiratory rate. Which of the following treatments should be recommended for this patient? A. diuretics B. antibiotics C. lung expansion therapy D. thoracentesis - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS lung expansion therapy A 60 year-old male is admitted to the ED with chest pain. The CBC and electrolytes are normal. Troponin level is 0.4 ng/mL. The physician should report to the patient that he is suffering from A. pulmonary embolism. B. gastroesophageal reflux. C. myocardial infarction. D. valvular stenosis. - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS myocardial infarction. A 65 kg spinal cord injured patient has developed atelectasis. His inspiratory capacity is 30% of his predicted value. What bronchial hygiene therapy would be most appropriate initially?
A. severe heart failure B. respiratory distress syndrome C. severe renal failure D. moderate heart failure - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS moderate heart failure A 75 kg (165 lb) patient with acute lung injury is being mechanically ventilated at the following settings: VC, A/C; VT 300 mL, respiratory rate 16/min, FIO2 0.50 and PEEP +5 cm H2O. The following arterial blood gas results are obtained: pH 7.30, PaCO2 58 torr, PaO2 79 torr, HCO3- 28 mEq/L. The patient's condition should be described as A. venous admixture. B. ventilation/perfusion mismatching. C. hypoventilation. D. refractory hypoxemia. - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS hypoventilation. A home care patient calls in the middle of the night and reports that the oxygen supply tubing will not stay attached to her transtracheal catheter. The flow rate to the transtracheal catheter is set at 0.5 L/min. The patient has attempted to flush the catheter with saline and push a cleaning rod through it without success. The respiratory therapist should instruct the patient to A. tape the connection securely. B. increase the flow to the catheter. C. decrease the flow to the catheter. D. switch to a nasal cannula. - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS switch to a nasal cannula. A mechanically ventilated patient with a tracheostomy tube is on the following settings: PC, SIMV, PIP 30 cmH2O, f 20/min, FIO2 0.60, PEEP 5 cmH2O. The ventilator alarm suddenly begins to sound and on quick examination, the respiratory therapist notices a generalized decrease in breath sounds and a reduction in delivered tidal volume from 650 mL to 500 mL. Which of the following conditions is most likely? A. The patient has been disconnected. B. Complete obstruction of the tracheostomy tube. C. Development of a left-sided pneumothorax. D. Partial obstruction of the tracheostomy tube. - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS Partial obstruction of the tracheostomy tube. A mixed venous blood sample is needed to determine the oxygen consumption of the tissues. The mixed venous blood sample should be obtained from the A. left atrium. B. pulmonary vein. C. pulmonary artery. D. superior vena cava. - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS pulmonary artery.
A patient admitted to the ED is noted to have pulse and blood pressure variations with respirations. This is most indicative of A. cardiac tamponade. B. severe pneumonia. C. congestive heart failure. D. large pleural effusion. - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS cardiac tamponade. A patient has mild stridor immediately after extubation. This finding is most often associated with A. lower airway obstruction. B. secretions in the large airways. C. upper airway obstruction. D. bronchial spasm. - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS upper airway obstruction. A patient in the ICU is being ventilated with PC, SIMV with a set inspiratory pressure of 62 cm H2O. The respiratory therapist notes that the patient's SpO2 is 92% and PETCO2 is 25 torr. The pressure-volume waveform reveals over-distension. The therapist should A. decrease the respiratory rate. B. decrease the PEEP. C. increase the expiratory time. D. decrease the inspiratory pressure. - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS decrease the inspiratory pressure A patient in the ICU receiving mechanical ventilation has just undergone a fiberoptic bronchoscopy procedure in which a tissue biopsy was collected. Immediately following the procedure, the respiratory therapist notes that the peak inspiratory pressure on the ventilator has increased. Potential causes for this include all of the following EXCEPT A. hypoxemia. B. pneumothorax. C. pulmonary hemorrhage. D. bronchospasm/laryngospasm. - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS hypoxemia A patient is admitted to the ED following a motor vehicle accident. On physical exam, the respiratory therapist discovers that breath sounds are absent in the left chest with a hyperresonant percussion note. The trachea is shifted to the right. The patient's heart rate is 45/min, respiratory rate is 30/min, and blood pressure is 60/40 mm Hg. What action should the therapist recommend first? A. Call for a STAT chest x-ray.
prescribed, the patient continues to have scattered infiltrates on his chest X-ray. Which of the following tests should the respiratory therapist recommend? A. thoracentesis B. polysomnography C. flexible bronchoscopy D. plethysmography - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS flexible bronchoscopy A patient with copious amounts of secretions has required nasotracheal suctioning for the past 36 hours and has now developed mild epistaxis. Which of the following should the respiratory therapist recommend? A. Insert a laryngeal mask airway (LMA) to facilitate suctioning. B. Discontinue nasotracheal suctioning for 24 hours and reassess the patient. C. Insert a nasopharyngeal airway after bleeding has been controlled. D. Insert an oral endotracheal tube to allow for better airway access. - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS Insert a nasopharyngeal airway after bleeding has been controlled. A patient's breathing pattern irregularly increases and decreases and is interspersed with periods of apnea up to 1 minute. Which of the following conditions is the most likely cause of this problem? A. Diabetes insipidus B. Renal failure C. Metabolic acidosis D. Elevated intracranial pressure - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS Elevated intracranial pressure A pediatric patient on high-flow oxygen therapy is being continuously monitored with a finger pulse oximetry probe. There are frequent and repeated false low SpO2 alarms (less than 90%). Which of the following should the respiratory therapist recommend in this situation? A. Sedate the patient and restrain his arms. B. Reset the low alarm limit to the 80% to 85% range. C. Use a spot-check instead of continuous monitoring. D. Relocate the sensor to the forehead or ear lobe. - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS Relocate the sensor to the forehead or ear lobe A post-operative patient is receiving mechanical ventilation in the ICU at the following settings: VC, A/C; VT 550 mL, respiratory rate 14/min, FIO2 0.50 and 10 cm H2O PEEP. Bedside monitoring results demonstrate that the PvO2 is 35 mm Hg and the SpO2 is 90%. The patient is alert and oriented with stable vital signs. Which of the following should the respiratory therapist recommend? A. Decrease the PEEP.
B. Increase the FIO2. C. Initiation diuretic therapy. D. Continue to monitor closely. - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS Increase the FIO2. A post-operative thoracic surgery patient is having difficulty developing an effective cough. The respiratory therapist should recommend all of the following techniques to aid this patient in generating a more effective cough EXCEPT: A. coordinating coughing with pain medication. B. performing serial coughs. C. applying pressure to patient's abdomen during exhalation. D. "splinting" the incision area. - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS applying pressure to patient's abdomen during exhalation. A pulse oximeter provides an accurate indication of a patient's oxygenation status in which of the following situations?
A. Helium dilution study B. DLCO C. Plethysmography D. Bronchial provocation - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS Bronchial provocation Adverse effects of inhaled NO include all of the following EXCEPT A. methemoglobinemia. B. aplastic anemia. C. rebound pulmonary hypertension. D. nitrogen dioxide toxicity. - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS aplastic anemia. After assisting with bronchoalveolar lavage and lung biopsy on a mechanically ventilated patient, the respiratory therapist notes the activation of a high pressure alarm. Peak inspiratory pressure has increased from 32 cm H2O before the procedure to 45 cm H2O after the procedure. Possible causes for the increased pressure include
C. improve pulmonary gas exchange. D. reduce the work of breathing. - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS reverse the underlying disease process. All of the following conditions can be treated with hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy EXCEPT A. carbon monoxide poisoning. B. decompression sickness. C. anaerobic infections. D. pulmonary hypertension. - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS pulmonary hypertension. All of the following statements are TRUE with regard to cuff inflation techniques EXCEPT A. minimal leak/minimal occlusion volume techniques negate the need for cuff pressure monitoring. B. minimal leak technique allows a small leak at the end of inspiration. C. at minimal occlusion volume, air leakage around the tube cuff should cease. D. cuff pressure should not exceed 35 cmH2O in order to allow circulation to tracheal mucosa. - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS minimal leak/minimal occlusion volume techniques negate the need for cuff pressure monitoring. All of the following strategies are likely to decrease the likelihood of damage to the tracheal mucosa EXCEPT A. maintaining cuff pressures between 20 and 25 mm Hg. B. using the minimal leak technique for inflation. C. using a low-residual-volume, low-compliance cuff. D. monitoring intracuff pressures. - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS monitoring intracuff pressures. An adult patient with asthma is receiving a mixture of 70% helium and 30% oxygen through a nonrebreathing mask with an oxygen flowmeter set at 10 L/min. What is the actual flow being delivered to the mask? A. 10 L/min B. 13 L/min C. 16 L/min D. 18 L/min - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS 16 L/min An ICU patient's blood pressure is being continuously monitored via an arterial catheter in the left radial artery. The respiratory therapist places the patient in Trendelenburg position for bronchial hygiene therapy and the blood pressure monitor begins to alarm.
Bronchial breath sounds heard over the lung periphery indicate A. narrowed airways. B. obstructed bronchi. C. lung consolidation. D. pulmonary edema. - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS lung consolidation. During a pre-operative evaluation, bedside spirometry results are as follows: FVC 88% of predicted, FEV1 85% of predicted, FEV1/FVC 82% of predicted and FEF25-75 81% of predicted. How should the respiratory therapist interpret these results? A. a mild restrictive disorder B. a mild obstructive disorder C. normal lung function D. mixed obstructive/restrictive disorder - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS normal lung function During chart review prior to obtaining an ABG sample, the respiratory therapist notes that the patient has a platelet count of 115,000/mm3. Based on this finding, what should the therapist do?
D. left tension pneumothorax. - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS left tension pneumothorax. Following blunt chest trauma, a 35-year-old male is orally intubated and continuous mechanical ventilation is initiated. Physical assessment of the neck and chest reveal a midline trachea and significant reduction in thoracic expansion of the left chest. There are diminished breath sounds in the left lung compared to the right lung. These findings most likely indicate which of the following? A. flail chest on right thorax B. right tension pneumothorax C. endobronchial intubation D. subcutaneous emphysema - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS endobronchial intubation Immediately after extubation of a patient in the ICU, the respiratory therapist observes increasing respiratory distress with intercostal retractions and marked stridor. The SpO on 40% oxygen is noted to be 86%. Which of the following would be most appropriate at this time? A. cool mist aerosol treatment B. aerosolized racemic epinephrine C. manual ventilation with resuscitation bag and mask D. reintubation - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS reintubation In order to verify the accuracy of a lab-based spirometer device, the respiratory therapist should utilize a A. rotameter. B. 3.0 L syringe. C. Wright respirometer. D. pneumotachometer. - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS 3.0 L syringe. Noninvasive Positive Pressure Ventilation (NPPV) is contraindicated in the management of which of the following conditions? A. Acute exacerbation of COPD B. Cardiogenic pulmonary edema C. Adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) D. Premature extubation - THE CORRECT ASNWER IS Adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) Sleep apnea can be defined as repeated episodes of complete cessation of airflow for A. 5 seconds or longer. B. 10 seconds or longer.