ACLS FINAL QUESTIONS
1. Cardiac monitoring reveals a tachyarrhythmia.The patient is hemodynamically stable and
has a regular heart rate ranging from 120 to 135 beats per minute. Which statements by the
patient could the team interpret as con- tributing to the tachyarrhythmia?
Answer: "I've been vomiting for the past 2 days from agastrointestinal bug."
Correct
"I've had a terrible cold with a horrible cough for the past week and today I developeda fever."
Correct
"I've been so anxious lately because I just lost my job."
2. The stroke team is assessing a patient with a suspected stroke. The patientis alert and able to
carry on a conversation, although the patient has difficulty getting the words out. Testing
confirms that the patient has had an ischemic stroke. Based on the patient's medical history, a
history of which arrhythmiawould alert the team to the patient's increased risk for stroke?
Answer: Atrial fibrillation
3. A patient is brought into the emergency department. The patient does not have a pulse.
The cardiac monitor shows the following rhythm.The teaminterprets this as which condition?
Answer: Ventricular tachycardia
4. A patient is admitted to the emergency department of a large medical center.The patient
is diagnosed with STEMI.The facility is capable of administering PCI. To achieve the best
outcomes, therapy should be administered to this patient within what time frame?
Answer: Within 90 minutes of the patient's first medical contact
5. The resuscitation team suspects that hyperkalemia is the cause of cardiacarrest in a patient
brought to the emergency department. Which finding on a 12-lead ECG would confirm this
suspicion?
Answer: Wide-complex ventricular rhythm and tall, peaked T waves
6. A member of the resuscitation team is preparing to administer medicationsintravenously to a
patient in cardiac arrest. The team member should follow each peripherally administered drug
dose with a normal saline flush. How much would the team member give?
Answer: 10 to 20 mL
7. A patient with dyspnea, inadequate blood pressure and a change in mentalstatus arrives at
the emergency department. The healthcare team completes the necessary assessments and
begins to care for the patient, including initiating cardiac monitoring and pulse oximetry;
providing supplemental oxygenand ensuring adequate ventilation; and obtaining vascular
access. The teamreviews the patient's ECG rhythm strip, as shown in the following figure.Which
agent would the team most likely administer?
Answer: Atropine 1 mg every 3 to 5 minutes
8. After cardiac arrest and successful resuscitation, the patient has a returnof spontaneous
, circulation.The patient is unable to follow verbal commands.Targeted temperature
management is initiated. Which method(s) would be appropriate for the resuscitation team to
use?
Answer: -Applying cooling blankets to thepatient's body-Using an endovascular catheter-
Giving an ice-cold IV fluid bolus
9. A responsive patient is choking.What method should the provider use firstto clear the
obstructed airway?
Answer: Back blows
10. The ECG rhythm strip of a patient who arrived in the emergency department complaining
of dizziness, syncope and shortness of breath reveals sinusbradycardia. When reviewing the
patient's medication history, the healthcareprovider identifies which agent(s) as a potential
cause of the patient's currentcondition?
Answer:
-Verapamil
-Digoxin
-Metoprolol
11. A person suddenly collapses while sitting in the sunroom of a healthcarefacility. A
healthcare provider observes the event and hurries over to assessthe situation. The healthcare
provider performs which assessment first?
Answer: - Rapid assessment
12. A patient is experiencing respiratory distress secondary to an exacerbation of chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease. The patient begins to exhibit signs and symptoms of
worsening respiratory function and experiences respiratory arrest. The team intervenes,
delivering ventilations via BVM resuscitator. The team should provide ventilations at a rate of
1 ventilation:
Answer: Every 6seconds
13. A patient is in cardiac arrest. The cardiac monitor shows asystole. In addition to
providing continuous high-quality CPR, what is the other priorityintervention for this patient?
Answer: Administering epinephrine as early as possible
14. A patient is admitted to the emergency department with signs and symptoms of stroke.
The stroke team should complete a comprehensive neurologic assessment and obtain brain
imaging results within what time frame?
Answer: Within20 minutes
15. The following capnogram is from a patient experiencing respiratory dis-tress. At which
point in the waveform would the patient's ETCO2 level be measured?
Answer: d
16. A patient is receiving ventilation support via bag-valve-mask (BVM) resus-citator.
Capnography is established and a blood gas is obtained to evaluate the adequacy of the
1. Cardiac monitoring reveals a tachyarrhythmia.The patient is hemodynamically stable and
has a regular heart rate ranging from 120 to 135 beats per minute. Which statements by the
patient could the team interpret as con- tributing to the tachyarrhythmia?
Answer: "I've been vomiting for the past 2 days from agastrointestinal bug."
Correct
"I've had a terrible cold with a horrible cough for the past week and today I developeda fever."
Correct
"I've been so anxious lately because I just lost my job."
2. The stroke team is assessing a patient with a suspected stroke. The patientis alert and able to
carry on a conversation, although the patient has difficulty getting the words out. Testing
confirms that the patient has had an ischemic stroke. Based on the patient's medical history, a
history of which arrhythmiawould alert the team to the patient's increased risk for stroke?
Answer: Atrial fibrillation
3. A patient is brought into the emergency department. The patient does not have a pulse.
The cardiac monitor shows the following rhythm.The teaminterprets this as which condition?
Answer: Ventricular tachycardia
4. A patient is admitted to the emergency department of a large medical center.The patient
is diagnosed with STEMI.The facility is capable of administering PCI. To achieve the best
outcomes, therapy should be administered to this patient within what time frame?
Answer: Within 90 minutes of the patient's first medical contact
5. The resuscitation team suspects that hyperkalemia is the cause of cardiacarrest in a patient
brought to the emergency department. Which finding on a 12-lead ECG would confirm this
suspicion?
Answer: Wide-complex ventricular rhythm and tall, peaked T waves
6. A member of the resuscitation team is preparing to administer medicationsintravenously to a
patient in cardiac arrest. The team member should follow each peripherally administered drug
dose with a normal saline flush. How much would the team member give?
Answer: 10 to 20 mL
7. A patient with dyspnea, inadequate blood pressure and a change in mentalstatus arrives at
the emergency department. The healthcare team completes the necessary assessments and
begins to care for the patient, including initiating cardiac monitoring and pulse oximetry;
providing supplemental oxygenand ensuring adequate ventilation; and obtaining vascular
access. The teamreviews the patient's ECG rhythm strip, as shown in the following figure.Which
agent would the team most likely administer?
Answer: Atropine 1 mg every 3 to 5 minutes
8. After cardiac arrest and successful resuscitation, the patient has a returnof spontaneous
, circulation.The patient is unable to follow verbal commands.Targeted temperature
management is initiated. Which method(s) would be appropriate for the resuscitation team to
use?
Answer: -Applying cooling blankets to thepatient's body-Using an endovascular catheter-
Giving an ice-cold IV fluid bolus
9. A responsive patient is choking.What method should the provider use firstto clear the
obstructed airway?
Answer: Back blows
10. The ECG rhythm strip of a patient who arrived in the emergency department complaining
of dizziness, syncope and shortness of breath reveals sinusbradycardia. When reviewing the
patient's medication history, the healthcareprovider identifies which agent(s) as a potential
cause of the patient's currentcondition?
Answer:
-Verapamil
-Digoxin
-Metoprolol
11. A person suddenly collapses while sitting in the sunroom of a healthcarefacility. A
healthcare provider observes the event and hurries over to assessthe situation. The healthcare
provider performs which assessment first?
Answer: - Rapid assessment
12. A patient is experiencing respiratory distress secondary to an exacerbation of chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease. The patient begins to exhibit signs and symptoms of
worsening respiratory function and experiences respiratory arrest. The team intervenes,
delivering ventilations via BVM resuscitator. The team should provide ventilations at a rate of
1 ventilation:
Answer: Every 6seconds
13. A patient is in cardiac arrest. The cardiac monitor shows asystole. In addition to
providing continuous high-quality CPR, what is the other priorityintervention for this patient?
Answer: Administering epinephrine as early as possible
14. A patient is admitted to the emergency department with signs and symptoms of stroke.
The stroke team should complete a comprehensive neurologic assessment and obtain brain
imaging results within what time frame?
Answer: Within20 minutes
15. The following capnogram is from a patient experiencing respiratory dis-tress. At which
point in the waveform would the patient's ETCO2 level be measured?
Answer: d
16. A patient is receiving ventilation support via bag-valve-mask (BVM) resus-citator.
Capnography is established and a blood gas is obtained to evaluate the adequacy of the
