Skip to ContentGo to accessibility page
OpenStax Logo
Medical-Surgical Nursing

Introduction

Medical-Surgical NursingIntroduction
Figure 11.1 Vigorous exercise requires a healthy respiratory system. (credit: modification of “Working Out At The Reily Center (3726377407)” by Tulane Public Relations/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0)

Chapter Outline

Introduction

Adequate lung function is an essential bodily function. Both acute and chronic respiratory conditions can impact the body’s ability to achieve effective gas exchange. When changes occur due to illness or injury, the body works hard to compensate. Despite the body’s efforts to achieve effective gas exchange when damage has occurred, problematic symptoms may require urgent intervention to prevent life-threatening complications. Understanding oxygenation, perfusion, and common disorders of the respiratory system is essential for providing effective nursing care for patients with respiratory issues. Nursing assessment of the upper and lower airways provides an opportunity for close monitoring of potential and active respiratory problems.

PreviousNext
Order a print copy
Citation/Attribution

This book may not be used in the training of large language models or otherwise be ingested into large language models or generative AI offerings without OpenStax's permission.

Want to cite, share, or modify this book? This book uses the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License and you must attribute OpenStax.

Attribution information
  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a print format, then you must include on every physical page the following attribution:

    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/medical-surgical-nursing/pages/1-introduction

  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a digital format, then you must include on every digital page view the following attribution:

    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/medical-surgical-nursing/pages/1-introduction

Citation information

© Apr 23, 2026 OpenStax. Textbook content produced by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License . The OpenStax name, OpenStax logo, OpenStax book covers, OpenStax CNX name, and OpenStax CNX logo are not subject to the Creative Commons license and may not be reproduced without the prior and express written consent of Rice University.