Healthstream Test 2022/2023 Updated Questions and
Answers with complete solution
A patient assessment reveals distended neck veins, pulsus paradoxus, and
decreased systolic pressure. This assessment is most consistent with:
cardiac tamponade.
The nurse is caring for a patient with severe sepsis and third-degree heart block.
The patient is hypotensive. The treatment for this life-threatening rhythm change
includes:
transcutaneous pacing.
A patient is admitted to the ICU with suspected cervical spinal cord injury
following a motor vehicle accident. The most important nursing intervention for
this patient is to:
immobilize his head.
The nurse assesses a patient's chest tube drainage 2 hours following thoracic
surgery. The total drainage in the system is 200 mL. The nurse knows that:
this is an excessive amount of drainage
The patient being admitted requires CRRT therapy. The nurse assigned to admit
the patient has not been educated on this therapy. The charge nurse adjusts the
assignment so that a nurse with 3 years experience in CRRT therapy is assigned
to the patient. This type of
decision making is an example of:
the synergy model for patient care.
The patient diagnosed with acute tubular necrosis (ATN) and experiencing severe
dehydration, sepsis, and pneumonia is now in the polyureic stage of ATN. The
most important nursing action is to:
monitor electrolyte levels and signs of fluid depletion.
A patient has an elevated central venous pressure (CVP) measurement. The most
likely reason is:
right heart failure.
Diabetes insipidus is usually treated with
vasopressin.
Which physiologic effect is produced by alpha-1 receptors?
Vasoconstriction
The patient experiencing an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) arrived on the unit
an hour ago with TPA infusing. Initially, the patient's neurologic exam was
normal. The nurse assesses the patient and finds him now disoriented. The next
nursing action should be to:
discontinue the TPA.
A patient has cardiomyopathy and is unstable. The nurse understands that the
treatment goal is to improve contractility, reduce preload and reduce afterload.
The nurse anticipates that medication management will include:
dobutamine and nitroprusside infusions
A continuous drip of a medication is ordered at a rate of 2 mg/min. The standard
mixture of this medication to yield a final concentration of 2 mg/mL is 1 g of the
, medication in 500 mL of IV fluid. At what rate in milliliters per hour should the IV
pump be set?
60 mL/hr
A practitioner has ordered 700 mg of an antibiotic. The medication label states,
"Add 5 mL sterile water to 1 g of this medication; 0.5 g = 2 mL." How many
milliliters should be given?
2.8 mL
A practitioner order is written for a continuous infusion of insulin at 3 units/hr;
the premixed solution is composed of 100 units of regular U-100 insulin in 100 mL
normal saline. At which rate should the infusion run?
3 ml/hr
A dose of 35 mg of a corticosteroid is ordered to be given IM to treat
inflammation. The medication is available as 250 mg/10 mL. How many milliliters
should be administered?
1.4 ml
A practitioner's order prescribes levothyroxine 0.075 mg PO daily. The available
medication is levothyroxine 25-mcg tablets. What will the nurse administer?
3 tabs
The actions of nitroglycerin in the management of angina include
coronary artery dilation and peripheral venous dilation.
The most common cause of right heart failure is:
left heart failure.
The nurse is differentiating between right- and left-sided heart failure in an
assigned patient. For right-sided heart failure, the patient presents with
edematous extremities, nausea/vomiting, and:
anorexia.
The nurse is assigned to a patient with acute adrenal insufficiency (Addisonian
crisis). The practitioner orders the steroids to be discontinued quickly. The nurse
knows to question the order because:
steroids should be withdrawn slowly to allow for pituitary production of ACTH
The nurse is caring for a patient who has atrial fibrillation. The patient is
attempting to understand why this dysrhythmia developed in him. The nurse
educates this patient about his risk factors, including:
diabetes mellitus.
The nurse is assigned a patient who is experiencing chest pain resulting from
coronary artery spasms while at rest. The nurse quickly realizes that the patient is
suffering from:
variant (Prinzmetal's) angina.
A blood transfusion is: indicated in cases of
active hemorrhage resulting in shock
Prior to administering digoxin to a patient, the nurse assesses the:
apical pulse for 1 minute.
The nurse has a patient who has sustained paroxysmal supraventricular
tachycardia (PSVT). The medication that is most effective for treatment is:
adenosine.
Answers with complete solution
A patient assessment reveals distended neck veins, pulsus paradoxus, and
decreased systolic pressure. This assessment is most consistent with:
cardiac tamponade.
The nurse is caring for a patient with severe sepsis and third-degree heart block.
The patient is hypotensive. The treatment for this life-threatening rhythm change
includes:
transcutaneous pacing.
A patient is admitted to the ICU with suspected cervical spinal cord injury
following a motor vehicle accident. The most important nursing intervention for
this patient is to:
immobilize his head.
The nurse assesses a patient's chest tube drainage 2 hours following thoracic
surgery. The total drainage in the system is 200 mL. The nurse knows that:
this is an excessive amount of drainage
The patient being admitted requires CRRT therapy. The nurse assigned to admit
the patient has not been educated on this therapy. The charge nurse adjusts the
assignment so that a nurse with 3 years experience in CRRT therapy is assigned
to the patient. This type of
decision making is an example of:
the synergy model for patient care.
The patient diagnosed with acute tubular necrosis (ATN) and experiencing severe
dehydration, sepsis, and pneumonia is now in the polyureic stage of ATN. The
most important nursing action is to:
monitor electrolyte levels and signs of fluid depletion.
A patient has an elevated central venous pressure (CVP) measurement. The most
likely reason is:
right heart failure.
Diabetes insipidus is usually treated with
vasopressin.
Which physiologic effect is produced by alpha-1 receptors?
Vasoconstriction
The patient experiencing an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) arrived on the unit
an hour ago with TPA infusing. Initially, the patient's neurologic exam was
normal. The nurse assesses the patient and finds him now disoriented. The next
nursing action should be to:
discontinue the TPA.
A patient has cardiomyopathy and is unstable. The nurse understands that the
treatment goal is to improve contractility, reduce preload and reduce afterload.
The nurse anticipates that medication management will include:
dobutamine and nitroprusside infusions
A continuous drip of a medication is ordered at a rate of 2 mg/min. The standard
mixture of this medication to yield a final concentration of 2 mg/mL is 1 g of the
, medication in 500 mL of IV fluid. At what rate in milliliters per hour should the IV
pump be set?
60 mL/hr
A practitioner has ordered 700 mg of an antibiotic. The medication label states,
"Add 5 mL sterile water to 1 g of this medication; 0.5 g = 2 mL." How many
milliliters should be given?
2.8 mL
A practitioner order is written for a continuous infusion of insulin at 3 units/hr;
the premixed solution is composed of 100 units of regular U-100 insulin in 100 mL
normal saline. At which rate should the infusion run?
3 ml/hr
A dose of 35 mg of a corticosteroid is ordered to be given IM to treat
inflammation. The medication is available as 250 mg/10 mL. How many milliliters
should be administered?
1.4 ml
A practitioner's order prescribes levothyroxine 0.075 mg PO daily. The available
medication is levothyroxine 25-mcg tablets. What will the nurse administer?
3 tabs
The actions of nitroglycerin in the management of angina include
coronary artery dilation and peripheral venous dilation.
The most common cause of right heart failure is:
left heart failure.
The nurse is differentiating between right- and left-sided heart failure in an
assigned patient. For right-sided heart failure, the patient presents with
edematous extremities, nausea/vomiting, and:
anorexia.
The nurse is assigned to a patient with acute adrenal insufficiency (Addisonian
crisis). The practitioner orders the steroids to be discontinued quickly. The nurse
knows to question the order because:
steroids should be withdrawn slowly to allow for pituitary production of ACTH
The nurse is caring for a patient who has atrial fibrillation. The patient is
attempting to understand why this dysrhythmia developed in him. The nurse
educates this patient about his risk factors, including:
diabetes mellitus.
The nurse is assigned a patient who is experiencing chest pain resulting from
coronary artery spasms while at rest. The nurse quickly realizes that the patient is
suffering from:
variant (Prinzmetal's) angina.
A blood transfusion is: indicated in cases of
active hemorrhage resulting in shock
Prior to administering digoxin to a patient, the nurse assesses the:
apical pulse for 1 minute.
The nurse has a patient who has sustained paroxysmal supraventricular
tachycardia (PSVT). The medication that is most effective for treatment is:
adenosine.
