ATI RN
Cardiovascular System Exam Questions
1. The nurse is preparing to administer a beta blocker to a client with hypertension. What is the priority assessment?
- A. Check the client's heart rate.
- B. Check the client's blood pressure.
- C. Check the client's respiratory rate.
- D. Check the client's temperature.
Correct answer: B
Rationale: The correct answer is to check the client's blood pressure. Before administering a beta blocker to a client with hypertension, assessing the blood pressure is crucial because beta blockers can cause hypotension, potentially leading to adverse effects. Checking the heart rate may also be important but is secondary to monitoring the blood pressure in this scenario. Respiratory rate and temperature assessments are not directly related to assessing the client's response to a beta blocker in hypertension management, making choices C and D less relevant.
2. What procedure involves inserting a flexible tube with a light and camera into the airways to examine the lungs and collect samples?
- A. Bronchoscopy
- B. Thoracentesis
- C. Lung biopsy
- D. Chest X-ray
Correct answer: A
Rationale: The correct answer is A: Bronchoscopy. Bronchoscopy is a procedure that entails inserting a flexible tube with a light and camera into the airways to examine the lungs and collect tissue or fluid samples. This procedure is commonly performed to diagnose lung conditions such as infections, tumors, or obstructions. Choice B, thoracentesis, involves inserting a needle into the pleural space to remove fluid for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes related to the lungs or pleura, not the airways. Choice C, lung biopsy, typically involves obtaining tissue samples from the lungs for further examination, not directly visualizing the airways. Choice D, chest X-ray, is a diagnostic imaging technique that uses radiation to create images of the chest area, providing a different type of information compared to bronchoscopy.
3. What test measures the pressure inside the arteries as the heart pumps blood?
- A. Blood pressure test
- B. Pulse oximetry
- C. Echocardiogram
- D. Spirometry
Correct answer: A
Rationale: The correct answer is A) Blood pressure test. A blood pressure test is specifically designed to measure the pressure inside the arteries as the heart pumps blood. This test is crucial in providing information about cardiovascular health by determining the force of blood against the artery walls. Choice B, Pulse oximetry, measures oxygen saturation in the blood, not blood pressure. Choice C, Echocardiogram, is an ultrasound test that evaluates the structure and function of the heart, not specifically blood pressure. Choice D, Spirometry, is a test used to assess lung function, not blood pressure.
4. The nurse is giving the client digoxin for heart failure and recognizes that the drug has what type of effect on the heart?
- A. Negative inotropic, negative chronotropic effect
- B. Positive inotropic, negative chronotropic effect
- C. Negative inotropic, positive chronotropic effect
- D. Positive inotropic, positive chronotropic effect
Correct answer: B
Rationale: The correct answer is B: Positive inotropic, negative chronotropic effect. Digoxin strengthens the heart muscle, providing a positive inotropic effect, which increases the force of contraction. It also decreases the heart rate, having a negative chronotropic effect. Choice A is incorrect because digoxin has a positive inotropic effect, not a negative inotropic effect. Choice C is incorrect as digoxin does not have a positive chronotropic effect but a negative one. Choice D is incorrect because while digoxin has a positive inotropic effect, it does not have a positive chronotropic effect.
5. What test uses sound waves to create pictures of the heart, allowing doctors to see how well the heart is functioning?
- A. Echocardiogram
- B. MRI
- C. CT scan
- D. X-ray
Correct answer: A
Rationale: The correct answer is an echocardiogram. This test utilizes sound waves to generate images of the heart, enabling doctors to evaluate both the function and structure of the heart. Choice B, MRI, uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce detailed images of the body's organs and structures, not specifically focused on the heart. Choice C, CT scan, employs X-rays to create detailed cross-sectional images of the body, not primarily for the heart. Choice D, X-ray, uses electromagnetic radiation to produce images of internal structures, but it does not provide the detailed pictures of the heart's function that an echocardiogram does.
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