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