ATI RN
Critical Care Nursing Questions and Answers PDF Questions
Question 1 of 5
The nurse is assigned to care for a patient who is a non-na tive English speaker. What is the best way to communicate with the patient and family to provide updates and explain procedures?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The correct answer is B: Contact the hospital’s interpreter service for someone to translate. This is the best option as it ensures accurate communication between the nurse, patient, and family. Hospital interpreters are trained professionals who can accurately convey medical information, ensuring understanding and informed decision-making. Using Google search (
A) may result in inaccurate information and is not reliable for medical communication. Asking a resident (
C) who is fluent may not guarantee accuracy in medical terminology. Using a young family member (
D) as a translator can lead to miscommunication due to potential language barriers or lack of medical knowledge. Overall, option B is the most appropriate and ethical choice for effective communication in a healthcare setting.
Question 2 of 5
The nurse caring for a mechanically ventilated patient prepares to include which strategies to prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia should be into the patient’s plan of care? (Select all that apply.)
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The correct answer is A: Drain condensate from the ventilator tubing away from the patient. This is crucial to prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia as stagnant condensate can harbor harmful bacteria. By draining it away from the patient, the risk of bacterial growth and subsequent aspiration is minimized. Elevating the head of the bed (choice
B) helps prevent aspiration but is not specific to preventing ventilator-associated pneumonia. Instilling normal saline during suctioning (choice
C) can increase the risk of infection. Performing regular oral care with chlorhexidine (choice
D) is important for oral hygiene but not directly related to preventing ventilator-associated pneumonia.
Question 3 of 5
Continuous venovenous hemodialysis is used to
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The correct answer is D because continuous venovenous hemodialysis combines ultrafiltration, convection, and dialysis techniques. Ultrafiltration removes excess fluid, convection helps in removing solutes, and dialysis involves the diffusion of solutes across a semipermeable membrane. This comprehensive approach ensures effective removal of both fluid and solutes in critically ill patients.
Incorrect Answer Analysis:
A: Removing fluids and solutes through convection alone is not the complete process in continuous venovenous hemodialysis.
B: While volume overload is addressed, continuous venovenous hemodialysis involves more than just removing plasma water.
C: Adding dialysate is not the primary method in continuous venovenous hemodialysis; it involves ultrafiltration, convection, and dialysis techniques.
Question 4 of 5
A patient is having difficulty weaning from mechanical ve ntilation. The nurse assesses the patient and notes what potential cause of this difficult weaning?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The correct answer is B: Hemoglobin of 8 g/dL. Low hemoglobin levels can lead to inadequate oxygen delivery to tissues, causing respiratory distress and difficulty weaning from mechanical ventilation. This is due to reduced oxygen-carrying capacity leading to increased work of breathing.
A: Cardiac output of 6 L/min is within normal range and not directly related to difficulty weaning from mechanical ventilation.
C: Negative sputum culture and sensitivity indicate absence of respiratory infection but not a direct cause of difficulty weaning.
D: White blood cell count of 8000 is within normal range and not a direct cause of difficulty weaning.
Question 5 of 5
After a change-of-shift report on a ventilator weaning unit, which patient should the nurse assess first?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The correct answer is D - Patient who was successfully weaned and extubated 4 hours ago and now has no urine output for the last 6 hours. This patient should be assessed first because the absence of urine output for 6 hours after being extubated could indicate acute kidney injury or other serious complications that need immediate attention. Urine output is a crucial indicator of renal function and can reflect the patient's overall hemodynamic status. In contrast, the other choices do not present immediate life-threatening conditions.
Choice A involves a patient in rest mode post-failed breathing trial, which does not require immediate assessment.
Choice B mentions continuous PETCO2 monitoring, which is important but not as urgent as assessing a patient with no urine output.
Choice C describes a patient with a ScvO2 of 69%, which may need monitoring but does not indicate an urgent priority compared to assessing a patient with no urine output after recent extubation.