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PHARMACOLOGY EVOLVE HESI|
COMPREHENSIVE Q&A FOR CERTIFICATION
SUCCESS 2026
A 26-year-old primigravida client is experiencing increasing discomfort and
anxiety during the active phase of labor. She requests something for pain. Which
analgesic should the nurse anticipate administering?
A. Butorphanol
B. Hydromorphone
C. Morphine sulfate
D. Codeine sulfate - correct-answer - A. Butorphanol
Butorphanol is a mixed agonist-antagonist analgesic resulting in good analgesia
but with less respiratory depression, nausea, and vomiting compared with opioid
agonist analgesics.
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Which question should the nurse ask a client prior to the initiation of treatment
with IV infusions of gentamicin sulfate?
A. "Are you having difficulty hearing?"
B. "Have you ever been diagnosed with cancer?"
C. "Do you have any type of diabetes mellitus?"
D. "Have you ever had anemia?" - correct-answer - A. "Are you having difficulty
hearing?"
Complications of gentamicin sulfate therapy include ototoxicity, nephrotoxicity,
and neurotoxicity. Determining if the client is hard of hearing prior to initiation of
this aminoglycoside will be helpful as the treatment progresses and ototoxicity is
identified as a possible complication. Options B, C, and D are important elements
of any medical history, but they do not have the priority of option A when
assessing for complications of aminoglycoside therapy.
Which medication is useful in treating digoxin toxicity?
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A. Atropine sulfate
B. Isoproterenol
C. Xylocaine
D. Digoxin immune Fab - correct-answer - D. Digoxin immune Fab
Digibind is useful in treating this type of drug toxicity because it is an antibody
that binds antigenically to unbound serum digoxin or digitoxin, resulting in renal
excretion of the bound complex. Options A, B, and C are not used to treat
digitoxin toxicity.
The nurse knows that certain antipsychotic drugs cause extrapyramidal
symptoms. Which extrapyramidal symptom is a permanent and irreversible
adverse effect of long-term phenothiazine administration?
A. Dystonia
B. Akathisia
C. Pseudoparkinsonism
D. Tardive dyskinesia - correct-answer - D. Tardive dyskinesia
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Tardive dyskinesia is a permanent effect of long-term phenothiazine
administration. Options A, B, and C are side effects of phenothiazines but do not
have the characteristics of being permanent and irreversible.
A client receives an antihypertensive agent daily. Which action is most important
for the nurse to implement prior to administering the medication?
A. Verify the expiration date.
B. Obtain the client's blood pressure.
C. Determine the client's history of adverse reactions.
D. Review the client's medical record for a change in drug route. - correct-answer
- B. Obtain the client's blood pressure.
To determine the most accurate response to antihypertensive therapy, baseline
blood pressures should be obtained before an antihypertensive drug is
administered and should be compared with orthostatic vital signs to determine
whether any side effects are occurring. Although options A, C, and D are required
PHARMACOLOGY EVOLVE HESI|
COMPREHENSIVE Q&A FOR CERTIFICATION
SUCCESS 2026
A 26-year-old primigravida client is experiencing increasing discomfort and
anxiety during the active phase of labor. She requests something for pain. Which
analgesic should the nurse anticipate administering?
A. Butorphanol
B. Hydromorphone
C. Morphine sulfate
D. Codeine sulfate - correct-answer - A. Butorphanol
Butorphanol is a mixed agonist-antagonist analgesic resulting in good analgesia
but with less respiratory depression, nausea, and vomiting compared with opioid
agonist analgesics.
,2|Page
Which question should the nurse ask a client prior to the initiation of treatment
with IV infusions of gentamicin sulfate?
A. "Are you having difficulty hearing?"
B. "Have you ever been diagnosed with cancer?"
C. "Do you have any type of diabetes mellitus?"
D. "Have you ever had anemia?" - correct-answer - A. "Are you having difficulty
hearing?"
Complications of gentamicin sulfate therapy include ototoxicity, nephrotoxicity,
and neurotoxicity. Determining if the client is hard of hearing prior to initiation of
this aminoglycoside will be helpful as the treatment progresses and ototoxicity is
identified as a possible complication. Options B, C, and D are important elements
of any medical history, but they do not have the priority of option A when
assessing for complications of aminoglycoside therapy.
Which medication is useful in treating digoxin toxicity?
,3|Page
A. Atropine sulfate
B. Isoproterenol
C. Xylocaine
D. Digoxin immune Fab - correct-answer - D. Digoxin immune Fab
Digibind is useful in treating this type of drug toxicity because it is an antibody
that binds antigenically to unbound serum digoxin or digitoxin, resulting in renal
excretion of the bound complex. Options A, B, and C are not used to treat
digitoxin toxicity.
The nurse knows that certain antipsychotic drugs cause extrapyramidal
symptoms. Which extrapyramidal symptom is a permanent and irreversible
adverse effect of long-term phenothiazine administration?
A. Dystonia
B. Akathisia
C. Pseudoparkinsonism
D. Tardive dyskinesia - correct-answer - D. Tardive dyskinesia
, 4|Page
Tardive dyskinesia is a permanent effect of long-term phenothiazine
administration. Options A, B, and C are side effects of phenothiazines but do not
have the characteristics of being permanent and irreversible.
A client receives an antihypertensive agent daily. Which action is most important
for the nurse to implement prior to administering the medication?
A. Verify the expiration date.
B. Obtain the client's blood pressure.
C. Determine the client's history of adverse reactions.
D. Review the client's medical record for a change in drug route. - correct-answer
- B. Obtain the client's blood pressure.
To determine the most accurate response to antihypertensive therapy, baseline
blood pressures should be obtained before an antihypertensive drug is
administered and should be compared with orthostatic vital signs to determine
whether any side effects are occurring. Although options A, C, and D are required
