Question 1

A nurse is teaching a patient about anaphylactic shock.Which information should the nurse include? The onset of anaphylactic shock is usually:

Accepted Answer

A)   Mild
B)   Immediate and life threatening
C)   Delayed by several hours
D)   Delayed by 24 hours B

Question 2

A 56-year-old male is diagnosed with coronary artery disease.Which of the following modifiable risk factors would the nurse suggest the patient change?

Accepted Answer

A)   Eating meat
B)   Living arrangements
C)   Drinking tomato juice
D)   Smoking cigarettes D

Question 3

A 35-year-old male presents with pulmonary hypertension.Testing reveals he is in right heart failure.Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis the nurse will see listed on the chart?

Accepted Answer

A)   Aortic stenosis
B)   Tricuspid regurgitation
C)   Aortic regurgitation
D)   Mitral regurgitation B

Question 4

A nurse takes an adult patient's blood pressure and determines it to be normal.What reading did the nurse obtain?

Accepted Answer

A)   Systolic pressure between 140 mm Hg and 150 mm Hg
B)   Systolic pressure less than 120 mm Hg and diastolic pressure less than 80 mm Hg
C)   Systolic pressure less than 100 mm Hg regardless of diastolic pressure
D)   Systolic pressure greater than 140 mm Hg and a diastolic pressure of 100 mm Hg

Question 5

A 50-year-old male is diagnosed with orthostatic hypotension.Which of the following symptoms would he most likely experience?

Accepted Answer

A)   Headache and blurred vision
B)   Nausea and vomiting
C)   Chest pain and palpitations
D)   Syncope and fainting

Question 6

A 30-year-old female presents to her primary care provider with fever,cardiac murmur,and petechial skin lesions.She is diagnosed with infective endocarditis.When the patient wants to know what caused the disease,what is the nurse's best response? The most likely cause of the disease is:

Accepted Answer

A)   Bacteria
B)   Viruses
C)   Fungi
D)   Parasites

Question 7

A 65-year-old male presents for a routine checkup.A blood pressure check reveals a systolic pressure of 160 mm Hg and a diastolic pressure of 70 mm Hg.Which of the following is the most likely cause of this type of pressure elevation?

Accepted Answer

A)   Vasospasm
B)   Rigidity of the aorta
C)   Decreased sodium intake
D)   Lung disease

Question 8

A 52-year-old female is diagnosed with coronary artery disease.The nurse assesses for myocardial:

Accepted Answer

A)   Hypertrophy
B)   Ischemia
C)   Necrosis
D)   Inflammation

Question 9

When a patient with left heart failure starts to have a cough and dyspnea,which principle should the nurse remember? Pulmonary symptoms,common to left heart failure,are a result of:

Accepted Answer

A)   Inflammatory pulmonary edema
B)   Decreased cardiac output
C)   Pulmonary vascular congestion
D)   Bronchoconstriction

Question 10

Which characteristic changes should the nurse keep in mind while caring for a patient with left heart failure? As left heart failure progresses:

Accepted Answer

A)   Left ventricular preload increases.
B)   Systemic vascular resistance decreases.
C)   Left end-diastolic volume decreases.
D)   Pulmonary vascular resistance decreases.

Question 11

A 50-year-old male visits the cardiologist for an EKG.Results indicate that he has no PR interval and a variable QRS rate with rhythm irregularity.Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis to be recorded on the chart?

Accepted Answer

A)   Atrial tachycardia
B)   Atrial fibrillation
C)   Sinus dysrhythmia
D)   Idioventricular rhythm

Question 12

A 30-year-old Caucasian female was recently diagnosed with primary hypertension.She reports that she eats fairly well,usually having red meat and potatoes daily.She also reports that her father has hypertension as well.A nurse determines which of the following risk factors is most likely associated with this diagnosis?

Accepted Answer

A)   Race
B)   Diet
C)   Age
D)   Genes

Question 13

A 51-year-old male presents with recurrent chest pain on exertion.He is diagnosed with angina pectoris.When he asks what causes the pain,how should the nurse respond? The pain occurs when:

Accepted Answer

A)   Cardiac output has fallen below normal levels.
B)   The myocardial oxygen supply has fallen below demand.
C)   Myocardial stretch has exceeded the upper limits.
D)   The vagus nerve is stimulated.

Question 14

A 75-year-old male has severe chest pain and dials 911.Lab tests at the hospital reveal elevated levels of cardiac troponins I and T.Based upon the lab findings,the nurse suspects which of the following has occurred?

Accepted Answer

A)   Raynaud disease
B)   Myocardial infarction (MI) 
C)   Orthostatic hypotension
D)   Varicose veins

Question 15

A nurse monitors the patient for _____ when rapid onset of malignant hypertension results.

Accepted Answer

A)   Atherosclerosis
B)   Encephalopathy
C)   Pulmonary edema
D)   Acute renal failure

Question 16

One consequence of switching from aerobic to anaerobic cellular metabolism during shock states is:

Accepted Answer

A)   Decreased adenosine triphosphate (ATP)  production
B)   Cellular dehydration
C)   Cellular alkalosis
D)   Free radical formation

Question 17

A nurse recalls the most common cardiac valve disease in the United States,which tends to be most prevalent in young women,is:

Accepted Answer

A)   Mitral valve prolapse
B)   Pulmonary stenosis
C)   Tricuspid valve prolapse
D)   Aortic stenosis

Question 18

A 28-year-old female presents to the ER reporting severe chest pain that worsens with respirations or lying down.She has a fever,tachycardia,and a friction rub.Based upon the assessment findings,the nurse determines the patient is experiencing:

Accepted Answer

A)   Acute pericarditis
B)   Myocardial infarction (MI) 
C)   Stable angina
D)   Pericardial effusion

Question 19

Which of the following findings in the patient with Raynaud disease would indicate a need for further teaching?

Accepted Answer

A)   The patient eats bananas twice a day.
B)   The patient smokes cigarettes.
C)   The patient wears mittens outside.
D)   The patient takes calcium channel blockers.

Question 20

Which patient is most prone to multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS)? In a patient with:

Accepted Answer

A)   Myocardial infarction (MI) 
B)   Pulmonary disease
C)   Septic shock
D)   Autoimmune disease

Exam 23: Alterations of Cardiovascular Function