NBRC RTE Exam Prep FREE Sample Exam — Fixed Set

A patient with advanced lung disease reports now needing to sit down to dress, stopping twice while showering because of breathlessness, and no longer being able to carry groceries into the house. How should these reports be interpreted in the assessment?

A patient with COPD and chronic CO2 retention is receiving oxygen at 3 L/min by nasal cannula with an SpO2 of 97%, and the care plan specifies a target saturation range of 88–92%. Which titration action is correct?

An arterial blood gas shows pH 7.28, PaCO2 58 mm Hg, PaO2 62 mm Hg, and HCO3- 27 mEq/L in a patient with an acute COPD exacerbation. How should this gas be interpreted?

A wall suction setup has its regulator set and the gauge near the wall holding at the set vacuum, but vacuum at the catheter is feeble and secretions barely move. The collection canister lid is missing its gasket and sits slightly askew. Trace the discrepancy.

A galvanic fuel-cell oxygen analyzer still calibrates correctly in room air, but in 100% oxygen it now reads only in the low 80s and takes far longer than usual to stabilize after any change in concentration. The sensor is near the end of its rated service life. What does this pattern indicate?

A unit’s practice has been to change every ventilator circuit on a fixed every-few-days schedule ‘to prevent infection.’ A therapist reviewing the ventilator-associated event prevention protocol notes the circuits are clean and functioning. What does current prevention practice direct?

A patient with a known difficult intubation still requires ventilation, but the endotracheal tube must be changed because of a damaged cuff causing a large leak that cannot be corrected. Which approach best preserves airway access during the exchange?

A patient with a COPD exacerbation on heated high-flow nasal therapy for one hour has worsening hypercapnia with pH 7.26, increasing drowsiness, and rising work of breathing, although SpO2 is 93%. What is the most appropriate escalation?

A patient with a chest tube for pneumothorax has a large continuous air leak on day 6, incomplete lung expansion, and increasing subcutaneous emphysema despite a patent, correctly positioned drain on appropriate suction. Which recommendation is most appropriate?

A newborn at 30 weeks’ gestation requires positive-pressure ventilation at delivery. What initial oxygen concentration should be used, with titration by preductal oximetry?

After being turned for a procedure, a ventilated 60-year-old man with COPD becomes hypoxemic with SpO2 88%. Breath sounds are loud over the right chest and nearly absent over the left, and chest rise is asymmetric. The endotracheal tube depth marking at the lips reads 4 cm deeper than the value documented after intubation, and the capnogram is present. What is the most appropriate action?

During compressions for a newborn, the ECG monitor displays a heart rate of 140/min, but the pulse oximeter reads 68/min, the infant’s perfusion is poor, and a team member cannot feel a brachial pulse. How should this discrepancy be interpreted?