ATI RN
Cardiovascular System Practice Questions Questions
Question 1 of 5
Which of the following is the priority for the nurse to assess before administering digoxin (Lanoxin)?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Auscultating the apical pulse (A) for 1 minute is the priority to detect bradycardia (<60 bpm), a sign of digoxin toxicity. Radial pulse (B) is less accurate, renal function (C) and potassium (D) are monitored but not the priority.
Question 2 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 3 of 5
The nurse's client asks, 'How did I get rheumatic heart disease?' The most appropriate response by the nurse is that rheumatic heart disease is frequently a result of?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is a complication of rheumatic fever, which is triggered by an untreated streptococcal infection (e.g., strep throat). Pregnancy, hypertension, and genetics may exacerbate heart conditions but are not primary causes of RHD.
Question 4 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 5 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.