The nurse is assessing a patient with asthma for signs of worsening disease. Which of the following would indicate that the patient's asthma exacerbation is worsening?

Increased diminished breath sounds

Explanation

•Breaths sounds that become increasingly diminished indicates that a severe obstruction is present and risk of respiratory failure is high.

•Wheezes can occur during all asthma exacerbations, regardless of severity.

•Less than 80% of predicted forced expiratory volume is indicative of moderate to severe asthma, but this information does not indicate worsening exacerbation.

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