ATI LPN
Timby's Introductory Medical-Surgical Nursing Thirteenth, North American Edition
Chapter 22 : Introduction to the Cardiovascular System Questions
Question 1 of 5
A client needs additional information about a heart condition. The client asks the nurse 'What is considered the pacemaker of the heart?'
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The SA node is called the pacemaker of the heart because it initiates the electrical impulses that cause the atria and ventricles to contract. Normally, it produces between 60 and 100 impulses per minute; the average is approximately 72 impulses per minute.
Question 2 of 5
The nurse is caring for a client with nursing diagnosis of ineffective tissue perfusion. Which area of the heart would the nurse anticipate being compromised?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: There are four chambers to the heart. The right and left ventricles are the heart's major pumping chamber. The right ventricle pumps to the lungs to oxygenate the blood. The left ventricle pumps blood to the tissues and cells. The pulmonary artery and aorta are not of the heart.
Question 3 of 5
The nurse is assessing a client who has dyspnea and considering the process of gas exchange. Which structural characteristic of capillaries best enables gas exchange at the cellular level?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Capillaries are one cell-layer thick and in direct contact with the cells of all tissues. This allows ease of gas exchange. Capillaries do form a complex network; however, it is the one cell structure that facilitates gas exchange. Venules and veins transport blood back to the heart. Arteries are elastic.
Question 4 of 5
The nurse is reviewing lab work for a client whose blood CO2 level is elevated. The nurse is most correct to suspect an impairment of which?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Gas exchange occurs in the lung where oxygen in inspired air exchanges for CO2 in the venous blood. The CO2 is then transferred to the alveoli to be exhaled. No gas exchange occurs in the bronchi. The pulmonary artery carries deoxygenated blood to the lungs, and the pulmonary vein brings oxygenated blood back to the heart to be pumped to the tissues.
Question 5 of 5
The nurse provides care for a client who is diagnosed with an infarction of the posterior wall of the right atrium. Which clinical finding should the nurse anticipate relating to the infarction location?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The posterior wall of the right atrium is the location of the sinoatrial node (SA node), which is the pacemaker of the heart. Damage to this location may result in an irregular heart rate due to a disturbance of electrical pulse initiation. Jugular vein distension and peripheral edema are anticipated for the client who is experiencing heart failure, not myocardial infarction (MI). Although fever can increase the client's heart rate, this is not an expected finding with an MI.