UPDATED 2024 Healthstream Test

A patient assessment reveals distended neck veins, pulsus paradoxus, and decreased systolic pressure. This assessment is most consistent with: - ANSWER 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: - ANSWER 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: - ANSWER 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: - ANSWER 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: - ANSWER 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: - ANSWER monitor electrolyte levels and signs of fluid depletion. A patient has an elevated central venous pressure (CVP) measurement. The most likely reason is: - ANSWER right heart failure. Diabetes insipidus is usually treated with - ANSWER vasopressin. Which physiologic effect is produced by alpha-1 receptors? - ANSWER 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: - ANSWER 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: - ANSWER 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? - ANSWER 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? - ANSWER 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? - ANSWER 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? - ANSWER 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? - ANSWER 3 tabs The actions of nitroglycerin in the management of angina include - ANSWER coronary artery dilation and peripheral venous dilation. The most common cause of right heart failure is: - ANSWER 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: - ANSWER 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: - ANSWER 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: - ANSWER diabetes mellitus.