A nurse is assisting the respiratory therapist with a physical assessment of a client who is being treated for pleural effusion at a health care facility

Question

The therapist needs the client to exhale additional air in order to determine the client's expiratory reserve volume. What instruction should the nurse give the client? A) Expand the thoracic cavity.
B) Relax the respiratory muscles.
C) Contract the abdominal muscles.
D) Elevate the ribs and sternum.

Answer 1

C
Feedback:
The nurse should instruct the client to contract the abdominal muscles to exhale additional air. A person can forcibly exhale additional air by contracting abdominal muscles such as the rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, and external and internal obliques. The client elevates the ribs and sternum and expands the thoracic cavity during inspiration. The client relaxes the respiratory muscles during normal expiration.