NURSING CARDIAC VASCULAR EXAM TEST BANK
2026: QUESTIONS AND 100% VERIFIED ANSWERS |
GRADED A+ | GUARANTEED PASS!!
Why should reversible causes of cardiac arrest be actively searched for?
ANS: Correcting an underlying reversible cause can restore circulation and
prevent recurrent arrest.
What does the reversible-cause concept of "Hs and Ts" represent?
ANS: Potential causes such as hypovolemia, hypoxia, hydrogen ion excess,
hypo/hyperkalemia, hypothermia, tension pneumothorax, tamponade, toxins,
thrombosis, and trauma.
A patient in cardiac arrest has a suspected tension pneumothorax. Why is this
considered a reversible cause?
ANS: Severe intrathoracic pressure can obstruct venous return and cardiac output;
urgent treatment can relieve the mechanical cause.
What is the purpose of capnography during resuscitation?
ANS: It provides information about ventilation and exhaled carbon dioxide and
can help assess CPR effectiveness and identify ROSC.
A sudden sustained increase in end-tidal CO₂ occurs during CPR. What might this
indicate?
ANS: It may indicate return of spontaneous circulation, although the finding must
be correlated with clinical assessment.
What is cardiac cachexia?
ANS: Severe unintended weight and muscle loss associated with advanced chronic
heart failure and systemic disease burden.
Why can advanced heart failure cause renal dysfunction?
ANS: Reduced cardiac output and increased venous congestion can impair renal
perfusion and kidney function.
What is cardiorenal syndrome?
ANS: A pathophysiologic interaction in which acute or chronic dysfunction of the
heart and kidneys contributes to dysfunction of the other organ.
,The heart's normal primary pacemaker is the ________ node.
ANS: Sinoatrial (SA) node.
A blood clot that forms inside the left ventricle after extensive myocardial injury is
called a left ventricular ________.
ANS: Thrombus.
A device that can detect and terminate certain life-threatening ventricular
arrhythmias is an ________.
ANS: Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD).
True or False: An S4 heart sound is expected in atrial fibrillation because the atria
contract forcefully against the ventricle.
ANS: False. AF eliminates coordinated atrial contraction, so an S4 cannot be
generated by an effective atrial contraction.
True or False: Nitrates are always beneficial in every patient with suspected
myocardial infarction.
ANS: False. Nitrates can be inappropriate or harmful in certain situations,
including significant hypotension and suspected right ventricular infarction.
True or False: A patient with an ICD may still require assessment after receiving a
device shock.
ANS: True. A shock may indicate a significant arrhythmia or inappropriate device
activation and warrants clinical evaluation.
True or False: A diastolic murmur can be considered a normal finding in all
healthy adults.
ANS: False. Diastolic murmurs generally indicate abnormal cardiac blood flow
and require evaluation.
True or False: Cardiac arrest and myocardial infarction mean the same clinical
condition.
ANS: False. Cardiac arrest is cessation of effective circulation, whereas
myocardial infarction is acute myocardial injury caused by ischemia.
Absolutely. Here are 80 more completely new CV-BC flashcards, designed to
avoid repetition from the previous sets. I've kept the matrix format and varied the
difficulty from normal to hard, with terminology, definitions, clinical scenarios,
,critical-thinking traps, fill-in-the-blank, and true/false items with explanations.
ANS:
What is the primary purpose of cardiovascular health assessment?
ANS: To identify risk factors, detect abnormalities early, establish baseline
cardiovascular status, and recognize changes requiring intervention.
When assessing a peripheral pulse, what five characteristics should the nurse
evaluate?
ANS: Rate, rhythm, amplitude/strength, symmetry, and quality of the pulse.
A patient's radial pulse is irregular. What should the nurse do before documenting
the heart rate?
ANS: Assess for an apical pulse and determine whether a pulse deficit is present,
particularly if the rhythm is irregular.
What is a pulse deficit?
ANS: The difference between the apical heart rate and the peripheral pulse rate,
often occurring with dysrhythmias that produce ineffective ventricular
contractions.
A patient has an apical rate of 96/min and a radial rate of 82/min. What is the pulse
deficit?
ANS: 14 beats/minute. The difference between the apical and peripheral rates is
14.
What does capillary refill primarily assess?
ANS: Peripheral tissue perfusion, although it should be interpreted with other
clinical findings rather than used as an isolated measure.
A patient's toes are cool with delayed capillary refill and diminished pedal pulses.
What should the nurse consider?
ANS: Impaired peripheral arterial perfusion and possible arterial insufficiency.
What is cyanosis?
ANS: Bluish discoloration of the skin or mucous membranes associated with
increased deoxygenated hemoglobin or abnormal hemoglobin states.
Why should central cyanosis be considered more concerning than peripheral
cyanosis?
, ANS: Central cyanosis may indicate significant systemic arterial desaturation and
requires evaluation of oxygenation and cardiopulmonary status.
What is clubbing of the fingers?
ANS: Enlargement of the distal fingertips with changes in the nail-bed angle,
associated with chronic hypoxemia and several cardiopulmonary or systemic
disorders.
What is the primary purpose of continuous cardiac monitoring in an unstable
patient?
ANS: To detect clinically significant dysrhythmias and ischemic changes early so
treatment can be initiated promptly.
A patient with chest pressure has ST-segment elevation in contiguous leads. What
does this suggest?
ANS: Acute myocardial injury consistent with STEMI; rapid reperfusion
evaluation is required.
What does ST-segment depression commonly indicate in suspected ACS?
ANS: Myocardial ischemia, particularly subendocardial ischemia; correlate with
symptoms and clinical findings.
Which cardiac biomarker is most specific for myocardial injury?
ANS: Cardiac troponin, interpreted with symptoms, ECG findings, and serial
changes.
A patient with suspected ACS has an initially normal troponin. What is the critical
trap?
ANS: A single early value does not exclude MI; serial testing may be necessary.
What is preload?
ANS: The ventricular filling/stretch at end-diastole; it is influenced by venous
return and circulating volume.
What is afterload?
ANS: The resistance the ventricle must overcome to eject blood; systemic
vascular resistance strongly affects LV afterload.
2026: QUESTIONS AND 100% VERIFIED ANSWERS |
GRADED A+ | GUARANTEED PASS!!
Why should reversible causes of cardiac arrest be actively searched for?
ANS: Correcting an underlying reversible cause can restore circulation and
prevent recurrent arrest.
What does the reversible-cause concept of "Hs and Ts" represent?
ANS: Potential causes such as hypovolemia, hypoxia, hydrogen ion excess,
hypo/hyperkalemia, hypothermia, tension pneumothorax, tamponade, toxins,
thrombosis, and trauma.
A patient in cardiac arrest has a suspected tension pneumothorax. Why is this
considered a reversible cause?
ANS: Severe intrathoracic pressure can obstruct venous return and cardiac output;
urgent treatment can relieve the mechanical cause.
What is the purpose of capnography during resuscitation?
ANS: It provides information about ventilation and exhaled carbon dioxide and
can help assess CPR effectiveness and identify ROSC.
A sudden sustained increase in end-tidal CO₂ occurs during CPR. What might this
indicate?
ANS: It may indicate return of spontaneous circulation, although the finding must
be correlated with clinical assessment.
What is cardiac cachexia?
ANS: Severe unintended weight and muscle loss associated with advanced chronic
heart failure and systemic disease burden.
Why can advanced heart failure cause renal dysfunction?
ANS: Reduced cardiac output and increased venous congestion can impair renal
perfusion and kidney function.
What is cardiorenal syndrome?
ANS: A pathophysiologic interaction in which acute or chronic dysfunction of the
heart and kidneys contributes to dysfunction of the other organ.
,The heart's normal primary pacemaker is the ________ node.
ANS: Sinoatrial (SA) node.
A blood clot that forms inside the left ventricle after extensive myocardial injury is
called a left ventricular ________.
ANS: Thrombus.
A device that can detect and terminate certain life-threatening ventricular
arrhythmias is an ________.
ANS: Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD).
True or False: An S4 heart sound is expected in atrial fibrillation because the atria
contract forcefully against the ventricle.
ANS: False. AF eliminates coordinated atrial contraction, so an S4 cannot be
generated by an effective atrial contraction.
True or False: Nitrates are always beneficial in every patient with suspected
myocardial infarction.
ANS: False. Nitrates can be inappropriate or harmful in certain situations,
including significant hypotension and suspected right ventricular infarction.
True or False: A patient with an ICD may still require assessment after receiving a
device shock.
ANS: True. A shock may indicate a significant arrhythmia or inappropriate device
activation and warrants clinical evaluation.
True or False: A diastolic murmur can be considered a normal finding in all
healthy adults.
ANS: False. Diastolic murmurs generally indicate abnormal cardiac blood flow
and require evaluation.
True or False: Cardiac arrest and myocardial infarction mean the same clinical
condition.
ANS: False. Cardiac arrest is cessation of effective circulation, whereas
myocardial infarction is acute myocardial injury caused by ischemia.
Absolutely. Here are 80 more completely new CV-BC flashcards, designed to
avoid repetition from the previous sets. I've kept the matrix format and varied the
difficulty from normal to hard, with terminology, definitions, clinical scenarios,
,critical-thinking traps, fill-in-the-blank, and true/false items with explanations.
ANS:
What is the primary purpose of cardiovascular health assessment?
ANS: To identify risk factors, detect abnormalities early, establish baseline
cardiovascular status, and recognize changes requiring intervention.
When assessing a peripheral pulse, what five characteristics should the nurse
evaluate?
ANS: Rate, rhythm, amplitude/strength, symmetry, and quality of the pulse.
A patient's radial pulse is irregular. What should the nurse do before documenting
the heart rate?
ANS: Assess for an apical pulse and determine whether a pulse deficit is present,
particularly if the rhythm is irregular.
What is a pulse deficit?
ANS: The difference between the apical heart rate and the peripheral pulse rate,
often occurring with dysrhythmias that produce ineffective ventricular
contractions.
A patient has an apical rate of 96/min and a radial rate of 82/min. What is the pulse
deficit?
ANS: 14 beats/minute. The difference between the apical and peripheral rates is
14.
What does capillary refill primarily assess?
ANS: Peripheral tissue perfusion, although it should be interpreted with other
clinical findings rather than used as an isolated measure.
A patient's toes are cool with delayed capillary refill and diminished pedal pulses.
What should the nurse consider?
ANS: Impaired peripheral arterial perfusion and possible arterial insufficiency.
What is cyanosis?
ANS: Bluish discoloration of the skin or mucous membranes associated with
increased deoxygenated hemoglobin or abnormal hemoglobin states.
Why should central cyanosis be considered more concerning than peripheral
cyanosis?
, ANS: Central cyanosis may indicate significant systemic arterial desaturation and
requires evaluation of oxygenation and cardiopulmonary status.
What is clubbing of the fingers?
ANS: Enlargement of the distal fingertips with changes in the nail-bed angle,
associated with chronic hypoxemia and several cardiopulmonary or systemic
disorders.
What is the primary purpose of continuous cardiac monitoring in an unstable
patient?
ANS: To detect clinically significant dysrhythmias and ischemic changes early so
treatment can be initiated promptly.
A patient with chest pressure has ST-segment elevation in contiguous leads. What
does this suggest?
ANS: Acute myocardial injury consistent with STEMI; rapid reperfusion
evaluation is required.
What does ST-segment depression commonly indicate in suspected ACS?
ANS: Myocardial ischemia, particularly subendocardial ischemia; correlate with
symptoms and clinical findings.
Which cardiac biomarker is most specific for myocardial injury?
ANS: Cardiac troponin, interpreted with symptoms, ECG findings, and serial
changes.
A patient with suspected ACS has an initially normal troponin. What is the critical
trap?
ANS: A single early value does not exclude MI; serial testing may be necessary.
What is preload?
ANS: The ventricular filling/stretch at end-diastole; it is influenced by venous
return and circulating volume.
What is afterload?
ANS: The resistance the ventricle must overcome to eject blood; systemic
vascular resistance strongly affects LV afterload.
