RN Exam Practice
Physiological AdaptationQuestion 1909 of 2368

The nurse sees continuous bubbling in the water seal chamber. The nurse briefly clamps the tube near the chest wall, and the bubbling stops. What does this finding indicate?

  1. The air leak is in the drainage tubing connections or the collection tubing
  2. The air leak is at the chest tube site or inside the client's thorax
  3. The air leak is in the drainage device itself, such as a cracked chamber
  4. The chest tube is patent and working as expected, with no air leak
Show answer

Correct answer: The air leak is at the chest tube site or inside the client's thorax

If bubbling stops with a clamp at the chest wall, the leak is at the site or in the thorax. Unclamp, reinforce the dressing, and notify the provider.

Source: Nursing Advanced Skills (Open RN, Chippewa Valley Technical College, 2023), Manage Chest Tube Drainage Systems: TROUBLESHOOTING PROBLEMS AND COMPLICATIONS. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Practice the topic "Physiological Adaptation"

Questions last reviewed: 18 October 2026