During the admission assessment of an individual admitted to the medical respiratory unit, the nurse notes the patient has a barrel-shaped chest. Which assessment should the nurse perform next?
a. Assess the patient's rate and character of respirations.
b. Ask the patient about presence of a productive cough.
c. Palpate the patient's thorax to determine presence of tenderness.
d. Obtain a blood sample for arterial blood gas (ABG) to detect respiratory acidosis.
ANS: A
A barrel-shaped chest is associated with air trapping that would be further assessed by the rate and character of the respirations. C. Chest tenderness is not associated with respiratory disease. B. D. Respiratory acidosis and cough are associated with pulmonary disease but do not cause a barreled chest and are not the priority at this time.
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