The nurse is caring for a client scheduled to have a ventilation diffusion scan to determine if the client's hypoxia is caused by a problem in ventilation or the respiration
The nurse would suspect a ventilation problem in the client diagnosed with: 1. Pulmonary hypertension.
2. Emphysema.
3. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
4. Pulmonary emboli.
3
Rationale: Ventilation is the process of inspiration and expiration that brings air into the lungs, while respiration requires the gases to pass through the alveolar capillary membrane and enter the bloodstream, which requires an adequate blood supply to the alveoli. A client with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis would have weakened muscles, and the inability of the chest to expand and contract properly would interfere with ventilation. Pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary emboli impact blood supply due to elevated pressure in the pulmonary vasculature, so it would cause a diffusion problem. Emphysema damages the pulmonary/capillary bed and interferes with diffusion, complicated by increased secretions that block the passage of gases in the alveoli.
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