ATI LPN
Cardiovascular Exam Questions Questions
Question 1 of 5
A 36-year-old male was injured in a high-speed motor accident. He is unbelted and, as a result, was ejected from vehicle. On arrival to the trauma bay. His GCS scale was 7 leading to emergently intubated. Injuries included moderate subdural hematoma and subarachnoid hemorrhage. Multiple bilateral nondisplaced rib fractures, bilateral pulmonary contusions, grade 3 splenic injury managed non-operatively and left femur fracture managed with an intramedullary rod on postoperative day 6. On post-trauma day 9, his GCS score is 11T and he qualifies for extubation. Which of the following criteria for extubation is best supported by the literature?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: A successful spontaneous breathing trial (SBT) of 30 minutes is the most evidence-based criterion for predicting successful extubation, as it assesses the patient's ability to breathe independently. Studies, including those in critical care literature, show SBT outperforms other measures like negative inspiratory force or cuff leak in multi-trauma patients.
Question 2 of 5
A patient with forward effects of heart failure may present with which symptoms?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The forward effects of heart failure cause inadequate perfusion of the brain and may lead to restlessness, mental fatigue, confusion, anxiety, impaired memory, generalized fatigue, activity intolerance, and lethargy. Stupor is not a symptom of the forward effects of heart failure.
Question 3 of 5
A patient is taking Digoxin. Prior to administration you check the patient's apical pulse and find it to be 61 bpm. Morning lab values are the following: K+ 3.3 and Digoxin level of 5 ng/mL. Which of the following is the correct nursing action?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: A Digoxin level of 5 ng/mL indicates toxicity (>2 ng/mL); hold the dose and notify the physician (C).
Question 4 of 5
Which of the following represents the correct pathway of blood moving from the superior vena cava to the lungs?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Blood from the superior vena cava enters the right atrium, passes through the tricuspid valve to the right ventricle, and exits via the pulmonary semilunar valve to the lungs.
Question 5 of 5
An older patient has been diagnosed with possible white coat hypertension. Which action will the nurse plan to take next?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Having the patient self-monitor BPs at home will provide a reliable indication about whether the patient has hypertension. Regular BP checks in the clinic are likely to be high in a patient with white coat hypertension. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring may be used if the data from self-monitoring are unclear. Although elevated stress levels may contribute to hypertension, instructing the patient about this is unlikely to reduce BP.