A patient is receiving supplemental oxygen at a flow of 4 L/min. ...

[Ebrown]

A patient is receiving supplemental oxygen at a flow of 4 L/min. Assessment reveals that there is clouding of the mask. What step should be taken to resolve this situation?
 
  a. Change to a nasal cannula at 2 L/min.
  b. Increase the flow to 5 L/min.
  c. Change to a 50 air-entrainment mask.
  d. Increase the flow to 10 L/min.

Question 2

A 45-year-old man had a deep sea diving accident recently and developed air emboli. Which type of therapy should the therapist recommend at this time?
 
  a. Nitric oxide therapy c. Hyperbaric therapy
  b. Heliox therapy d. Aerosol therapy

[Ptupou85]

Answer to Question 1

ANS: B
The clouding of the mask shows there is CO2 retention in the mask. The minimum flow for a simple mask is 5 L/min. The other options would result in significant changes in the delivered FIO2.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: C
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy exposes patients to a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure while they breathe 100 oxygen either continuously or intermittently. The effects on lung volume can be explained by Boyle's law, which states that if the temperature of a gas remains constant, the volume of a gas is inversely related to its pressure. That is, as the pressure exerted on the contain-er increase, the gas volume decreases. Thus when a person is exposed to elevated pressures, the gas volume contained in any body cavity tends to be compressed.