Respiratory Nursing

A systematic approach to reading arterial blood gases — pH, PaCO₂, HCO₃, respiratory vs metabolic causes, compensation basics, and a step-by-step interpretation method.

A systematic 6-step approach to arterial blood gas interpretation — assess pH, PaCO₂, HCO₃, determine the primary disorder, evaluate compensation, and assess oxygenation with clinical examples.

Metabolic acidosis vs alkalosis for nurses — causes, ABG findings, clinical manifestations, and nursing priorities for both metabolic acid-base disorders.

Respiratory acidosis vs alkalosis for nurses — hypoventilation vs hyperventilation, ABG findings, causes, and treatment priorities for both respiratory acid-base disorders.

Respiratory assessment for nurses — inspection, palpation, percussion, and auscultation with normal and abnormal findings, assessment sequence, and nursing considerations for NCLEX and clinical practice.

Mechanical ventilation basics for nurses — purpose, indications, key settings (FiO₂, PEEP, tidal volume, respiratory rate), and nursing monitoring priorities for NCLEX and clinical practice.

COPD vs asthma for nurses — pathophysiology, clinical presentation, assessment findings, treatment differences, and nursing considerations for NCLEX and clinical practice.

ARDS fundamentals for nurses — definition, causes, Berlin criteria, clinical manifestations, ventilator considerations, and nursing priorities for NCLEX and clinical practice.

Bedside emergency equipment, suctioning technique, inner cannula and stoma care, cuff management, accidental decannulation response, and communication with a voiceless patient.

Virchow's triad and the DVT-to-PE pathway, the sudden dyspnea and hypoxia presentation, the Wells score and D-dimer/CT workup, anticoagulation vs thrombolytics, and prevention and emergency priorities.

Simple/spontaneous vs tension vs open pneumothorax, hemothorax and flail chest, the tension-pneumothorax emergency (tracheal deviation, absent breath sounds, JVD → needle decompression), chest tube management, and nursing priorities.

Transudate vs exudate and Light's criteria, the dyspnea/decreased breath sounds/dullness-to-percussion presentation, thoracentesis positioning and post-procedure pneumothorax monitoring, empyema, and the nursing priorities.

Repeated upper-airway collapse and apnea, the STOP-BANG screen, daytime somnolence and loud snoring, the CPAP cornerstone, the perioperative sedation and opioid risk, and complications like pulmonary hypertension.

Quick-reference grid for all four primary acid-base disorders — respiratory acidosis/alkalosis and metabolic acidosis/alkalosis with expected pH, CO₂, and HCO₃ changes and common causes.

Stepwise ABG interpretation flowchart — a visual decision guide through pH, PaCO₂, HCO₃, compensation assessment, and oxygenation evaluation with practice examples.

Side-by-side comparison of all four acid-base disorders — respiratory acidosis, respiratory alkalosis, metabolic acidosis, and metabolic alkalosis — with pH, PaCO₂, HCO₃, causes, and symptoms.

Breath sounds comparison chart for nurses — sound, description, cause, and clinical significance for all normal and adventitious breath sounds for NCLEX and clinical practice.

NCLEX-oriented ventilator modes chart spanning invasive and noninvasive support — patient effort, advantages, and limitations for AC, SIMV, Pressure Support, CPAP, and BiPAP.

Respiratory failure comparison chart for nurses — Type I vs Type II: oxygenation, CO₂, common causes, ABG patterns, and treatment priorities for NCLEX and clinical practice.

Oxygenation measurements chart for nurses — SpO₂, PaO₂, and SaO₂ compared by source, normal range, and clinical interpretation for NCLEX and clinical practice.

NPA, OPA, BVM, LMA, endotracheal tube, and surgical cricothyrotomy compared by indication, sizing, aspiration protection, and definitive-airway status for emergency airway management.

Simple/spontaneous vs tension vs open pneumothorax vs hemothorax — cause, key findings, the emergency action for each (needle decompression for tension, three-sided dressing for open), and percussion note, side by side.

Pulmonary embolism organized for fast recognition — the at-risk patient (Virchow's triad), classic presentation, massive-PE red flags, and first nursing actions.

Mechanism, Light's criteria (protein and LDH ratios), fluid appearance, and the typical causes (heart failure/cirrhosis/nephrotic vs infection/malignancy/PE), side by side, so you can interpret a thoracentesis result.

The defining difference (respiratory effort present vs absent), the mechanism, typical patients and causes, snoring, and treatment (CPAP vs treating the underlying cause/adaptive servo-ventilation), side by side.