ATI RN
Pharmacological Lifespan Treatment Questions
Question 1 of 4
A 26-year-old man presents to an urgent care clinic with a dry cough for the past week. The cough was associated with a fever and chills for 2 days, but he has since been afebrile. He has no other symptoms. What opioid is most appropriate to treat this patient’s cough?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Failed to generate a rationale of 500+ characters after 5 retries.
Question 2 of 4
A 73-year-old man presents to the primary care clinic with increasing shortness of breath. He has had shortness of breath for many years, but it has been progressively worsening. It is associated with peripheral edema and dry cough. A transthoracic echocardiogram shows pulmonary hypertension. What is the most appropriate treatment for this patient?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Bosentan, an endothelin receptor antagonist, is a targeted therapy for pulmonary hypertension, reducing pulmonary vascular resistance and improving symptoms like shortness of breath and edema. Albuterol (a bronchodilator) treats asthma/COPD, not pulmonary hypertension. Guaifenesin (an expectorant) and N-acetylcysteine (a mucolytic) address mucus, not vascular issues. Theophylline (a bronchodilator) is outdated and ineffective for pulmonary hypertension.
Question 3 of 4
A 38-year-old man comes to the physician because of a 6-month history of occasional episodes of chest tightness, wheezing, and cough. The symptoms are often mild and resolve spontaneously. He has been otherwise healthy. His respirations are 13/min. The lungs are clear to auscultation. Cardiac examination and chest x-ray show no abnormalities. Which of the following agents is most appropriate to treat acute episodes in this patient?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: This patient has mild intermittent asthma (chest tightness, wheezing, cough). Albuterol (A), a short-acting β₂-agonist, is the first-line treatment for acute episodes, relaxing bronchial smooth muscle to relieve bronchospasm. Beclomethasone is an inhaled corticosteroid for maintenance, cromolyn prevents mast cell degranulation (not acute relief), ipratropium is an anticholinergic for COPD or severe asthma, and theophylline (E) is an older, less-used bronchodilator.
Question 4 of 4
A patient in the clinic reports difficulty tolerating the current ACE inhibitor medication, and questions if another medication could be useThe nurse correctly suspects the prescriber will choose which medication, which affects the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Losartan (b), an angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB), affects the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) and is often substituted for ACE inhibitors when side effects (e.g., cough) are intolerable. Spironolactone is a potassium-sparing diuretic affecting aldosterone, but ARBs are more direct RAAS alternatives to ACE inhibitors. Atenolol is a beta-blocker, and adenosine is an antiarrhythmic—neither targets RAAS. Note: Answer key says (c), but is pharmacologically correct.