ATI RN
Cardiovascular System Practice Questions Questions
Question 1 of 5
Arteries are blood vessels that:
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Arteries are defined as vessels that carry blood away from the heart, regardless of oxygenation status (e.g., pulmonary artery carries deoxygenated blood). Veins travel to the heart. A and B are not universally true for all arteries.
Question 2 of 5
The nurse is teaching a class to student nurses on rheumatic fever. Which of the following should the nurse include in the class? Rheumatic fever
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Rheumatic fever follows streptococcal infection, diagnosed via throat culture (for Streptococcus) and antistreptolysin O (ASO) titers. It’s not linked to varicella, not diagnosed by blood cultures, and affects younger populations, not mainly the elderly.
Question 3 of 5
A 55-year-old patient who is diagnosed with an evolving myocardial infarction (MI) insists on going home. The cardiac-vascular nurse encourages the patient to be admitted because the greatest risk within the first 24 hours of sustaining an MI is:
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Ventricular fibrillation, a lethal arrhythmia, is the greatest risk in the first 24 hours post-MI due to myocardial irritability from ischemia, often causing sudden cardiac death. Other complications (A-C) are serious but less immediate threats.
Question 4 of 5
A patient recently had a cardiac catheterization via right-radial approach and now has a compression device in place. The patient reports numbness and pain in the right hand. The cardiac-vascular nurse notes a diminished pulse, with a cool and cyanotic hand. The nurse:
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Numbness, pain, weak pulse, and cyanosis post-radial catheterization suggest vascular compromise (e.g., occlusion or hematoma), requiring urgent physician notification. B assesses pre-procedure, C risks bleeding, and D delays action.
Question 5 of 5
The term for the contraction phase of the cardiac cycle is:
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The cardiac cycle consists of two phases: systole and diastole. Systole (Choice B) is the contraction phase, during which the heart pumps blood out of the ventricles into the arteries. Diastole (Choice A) is the relaxation phase, allowing the heart to fill with blood. Tachycardia (Choice C) refers to a rapid heart rate, and bradycardia (Choice D) indicates a slow heart rate; neither defines a phase of the cycle. Thus, Choice B is correct.