AACN Exam questions with correct answers
Charcot's Triad - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔RUQ pain, fever, jaundice
(indicates cholangitis)
Reynold's pentad - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔RUQ pain, fever, jaundice, AMS,
hypotension (indicates worsening cholangitis)
Murphy's sign - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔pain with palpation of the RUQ
during inspiration, indicative of cholecystitis
Psoas sign - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔RLQ pain with extension of right
thigh/hip indicative of appendicitis
Kehr's sign - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔Left shoulder pain caused by irritation
of the undersurface of the diaphragm by blood leaking from a ruptured spleen.
While Kehr's sign (left shoulder pain) is commonly a symptom of splenic
rupture, right shoulder pain typically signals liver or gallbladder irritation
Cullen's sign - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔Ecchymosis in periumbilical area,
seen with pancreatitis
Grey Turner's sign - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔Atraumatic ecchymosis in the
flank, typically indicating hemorrhagic pancreatitis
,Beck's triad - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔JVD, muffled heart sounds, decreased
BP (indicate cardiac tamponade)
Cushing's triad - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔bradycardia, bradypnea,
hypertension (indicate increased ICP; normal ICP=5-15 mm Hg)
Charcot's neurologic triad - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔Nystagmus, staccato
speech, intentional tremor (indicate MS)
Virchow's triad - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔Venous stasis, hypercoagulability,
endothelial damage (high risk of thrombosis)
Shock Triad - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔Hypotension, tachycardia, tachypnea
Opioid Poisoning Triad - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔CNS depression (AMS,
coma), respiratory depression, miosis (pinpoint pupils)
Wolf-Parkinson-White Syndrome: 3 signs - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔short PR
interval, delta waves, and wide QRS complex
Behcet's disease - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔Recurrent oral ulcers, genital
ulcers, eye inflammation
3 D's of pellagra (niacin, vit B3, deficiency) - CORRECT ANSWERS
✔✔Diarrhea, dementia, dermatitis
,Serotonin Syndrome - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔Similar to NMS but caused by
serotonin medications, and has HYPERreflexive muscle activity
Symptoms= mental status changes and hyperthermia.
Treatment=cyproheptadine
Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔Adverse
reaction to antipsychotics with severe "lead pipe" rigidty, FEVER (102-104),
tachycardia, tachypnea, mental status changes
lethal triad of trauma - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔Hypothermia, acidosis,
coagulopathy
Neurogenic shock: 3 symptoms - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔Hypothermia,
hypotension, bradycardia
Whipple's triad - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔1. Fasting hypoglycemia <50
2. Symptoms during hypoglycemia
3. Immediate relief of symptoms after the administration of IV glucose
(suggest insulinoma)
Reactive arthritis rhyme - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔Can't see (conjunctivitis),
can't pee (urethritis or cervicitis), can't climb a tree (arthritis)
, Murphy's Triad - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔RLQ pain, nausea/vomiting, fever
(indicates appendicitis)
Acidosis vs Alkalosis - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔ROME:
Respiratory - Opposite
Acidosis: pH is down, pCO2 is up
Alkalosis: pH is up, pCO2 is down
Metabolic - Equal
Acidosis: pH is down, pCO2 is down
Alkalosis: pH is up, pCO2 is up
ACE Inhibitors - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔"PRIL" Captopril, Enalapril,
Afosiopril
Antihypertensive. Blocks ACE in lungs from converting angiotensin I to
angiotensin II (powerful vasoconstrictor). Decreases BP, Decreased
Aldosterone secretions, Sodium and fluid loss.
Check BP before giving (hypotension)
*Orthostatic Hypotension
ARBs - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔"SARTAN"
Angiotensin II receptor blockers
Charcot's Triad - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔RUQ pain, fever, jaundice
(indicates cholangitis)
Reynold's pentad - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔RUQ pain, fever, jaundice, AMS,
hypotension (indicates worsening cholangitis)
Murphy's sign - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔pain with palpation of the RUQ
during inspiration, indicative of cholecystitis
Psoas sign - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔RLQ pain with extension of right
thigh/hip indicative of appendicitis
Kehr's sign - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔Left shoulder pain caused by irritation
of the undersurface of the diaphragm by blood leaking from a ruptured spleen.
While Kehr's sign (left shoulder pain) is commonly a symptom of splenic
rupture, right shoulder pain typically signals liver or gallbladder irritation
Cullen's sign - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔Ecchymosis in periumbilical area,
seen with pancreatitis
Grey Turner's sign - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔Atraumatic ecchymosis in the
flank, typically indicating hemorrhagic pancreatitis
,Beck's triad - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔JVD, muffled heart sounds, decreased
BP (indicate cardiac tamponade)
Cushing's triad - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔bradycardia, bradypnea,
hypertension (indicate increased ICP; normal ICP=5-15 mm Hg)
Charcot's neurologic triad - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔Nystagmus, staccato
speech, intentional tremor (indicate MS)
Virchow's triad - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔Venous stasis, hypercoagulability,
endothelial damage (high risk of thrombosis)
Shock Triad - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔Hypotension, tachycardia, tachypnea
Opioid Poisoning Triad - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔CNS depression (AMS,
coma), respiratory depression, miosis (pinpoint pupils)
Wolf-Parkinson-White Syndrome: 3 signs - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔short PR
interval, delta waves, and wide QRS complex
Behcet's disease - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔Recurrent oral ulcers, genital
ulcers, eye inflammation
3 D's of pellagra (niacin, vit B3, deficiency) - CORRECT ANSWERS
✔✔Diarrhea, dementia, dermatitis
,Serotonin Syndrome - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔Similar to NMS but caused by
serotonin medications, and has HYPERreflexive muscle activity
Symptoms= mental status changes and hyperthermia.
Treatment=cyproheptadine
Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔Adverse
reaction to antipsychotics with severe "lead pipe" rigidty, FEVER (102-104),
tachycardia, tachypnea, mental status changes
lethal triad of trauma - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔Hypothermia, acidosis,
coagulopathy
Neurogenic shock: 3 symptoms - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔Hypothermia,
hypotension, bradycardia
Whipple's triad - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔1. Fasting hypoglycemia <50
2. Symptoms during hypoglycemia
3. Immediate relief of symptoms after the administration of IV glucose
(suggest insulinoma)
Reactive arthritis rhyme - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔Can't see (conjunctivitis),
can't pee (urethritis or cervicitis), can't climb a tree (arthritis)
, Murphy's Triad - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔RLQ pain, nausea/vomiting, fever
(indicates appendicitis)
Acidosis vs Alkalosis - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔ROME:
Respiratory - Opposite
Acidosis: pH is down, pCO2 is up
Alkalosis: pH is up, pCO2 is down
Metabolic - Equal
Acidosis: pH is down, pCO2 is down
Alkalosis: pH is up, pCO2 is up
ACE Inhibitors - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔"PRIL" Captopril, Enalapril,
Afosiopril
Antihypertensive. Blocks ACE in lungs from converting angiotensin I to
angiotensin II (powerful vasoconstrictor). Decreases BP, Decreased
Aldosterone secretions, Sodium and fluid loss.
Check BP before giving (hypotension)
*Orthostatic Hypotension
ARBs - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔"SARTAN"
Angiotensin II receptor blockers
