Complex Care Final questions with
100% correct answers
Which of the below types of aneurysms is the most likely to dissect?
A) Abdominal Aortic
B) Thoracic
C) Peripheral
D) They are all equally likely - correct answer ✔✔B: Thoracic- The thoracic region of the aorta
most often has the highest pressure and force due to being closest to the heart.
Sally comes to the emergency department with severe pain in the upper chest while lying down,
shortness of breath, and hoarseness while talking. Her neck veins appear distended. She stated
that she has never experienced pain like this before. What problem should the next expect the
patient to have?
A) MI
B) Atelectasis
C) Blindness
D) Thoracic Aneurysm - correct answer ✔✔D- Thoracic Aneurysm. These are all classic
symptoms of a thoracic aneurysm
True or False: Hypertensive retinopathy is a type of organ damage that can occur as a result of a
hypertensive emergency. - correct answer ✔✔True: Hypertensive retinopathy is one of the
organs that can be damaged as a result of a hypertensive emergency.
A nurse is educating a patient about the signs and symptoms of a pulmonary embolism. The
nurse should include all of the following in her teaching except:
a. Dyspnea
,b. Palpitations
c. Elevated JVD
d. Chest pain upon expiration - correct answer ✔✔D
PE presenting signs and symptoms include dyspnea, palpitations, elevated JVD and chest pain
upon inspiration.
A nurse is teaching a newly licensed nurse about applicable nursing diagnoses related to
pulmonary embolism. The nurse should include all of the following diagnoses in her teaching
except:
a. Decreased cardiac output
b. Increased cardiac output
c. Impaired gas exchange
d. Ineffective tissue perfusion - correct answer ✔✔B
Applicable nursing diagnoses related to pulmonary embolism include: ineffective tissue
perfusion, decreased cardiac output and impaired gas exchange. Increased cardiac output is not
a manifestation of a pulmonary embolism.
. An aortic aneurysm pressing on the superior vena cava causes all of the following except:
a. Increased venous return
b. Distended neck veins
c. Edema of the face and arms
d. Decreased venous return - correct answer ✔✔A
Clinical manifestations of an aortic aneurysm that is compressing the superior vena cava
include: decreased venous return, resulting in distended neck veins and edema of the face and
arms. Increased venous return is not a manifestation of a compressed superior vena cava.
You are teaching a group of new nurses about risk factors for the development of a PE. You
know the group understands the teaching when they identify which of the following patients as
having an increased risk. Select all that apply.
, 1. 40 year old woman who is obese
2. 30 year old woman taking oral contraceptives
3. 25 year old man with ADHD
4. 60 year old man who smokes a pack a day - correct answer ✔✔Answer: 1, 2, 4
Rationale: Obesity and smoking cause hypercoagulability, which is one of the components of
Virchow's triad of factors increasing the risk for PE. The use of oral contraceptives also increases
the risk for PE. ADHD has no correlation to the risk of developing a PE.
You are performing an assessment on a patient with a suspected rupture of an aortic aneurysm.
Which of the following signs are indications of a rupture?
1. Heart rate of 50
2. Pain in abdomen or back
3. BP of 80/50
4. Heart rate of 120
5. Warm, dry skin - correct answer ✔✔Answer: 2, 3, 4
Rationale: Patients who have a ruptured aneurysm will display signs of hypovolemic shock,
including tachycardia, hypotension, diaphoresis, and pallor. Patients can also experience pain in
their abdomen, back, groin, or periumbilical area.
You are preparing to administer nitroprusside IV to a patient suffering from a hypertensive crisis
and need to calculate the MAP to properly titrate the dose. The patient's current blood pressure
is 210/120. What would be the patient's MAP? - correct answer ✔✔Answer: 150
Rationale: MAP can be calculated in several different ways, but one equation is ⅔ DP + ⅓ BP.
In this case the patient's systolic BP is 210 and the diastolic BP is 120. Plugging these numbers
into the equation gives you:
⅔ (120) + ⅓ (210) = MAP
80 + 70= MAP
150 = MAP
100% correct answers
Which of the below types of aneurysms is the most likely to dissect?
A) Abdominal Aortic
B) Thoracic
C) Peripheral
D) They are all equally likely - correct answer ✔✔B: Thoracic- The thoracic region of the aorta
most often has the highest pressure and force due to being closest to the heart.
Sally comes to the emergency department with severe pain in the upper chest while lying down,
shortness of breath, and hoarseness while talking. Her neck veins appear distended. She stated
that she has never experienced pain like this before. What problem should the next expect the
patient to have?
A) MI
B) Atelectasis
C) Blindness
D) Thoracic Aneurysm - correct answer ✔✔D- Thoracic Aneurysm. These are all classic
symptoms of a thoracic aneurysm
True or False: Hypertensive retinopathy is a type of organ damage that can occur as a result of a
hypertensive emergency. - correct answer ✔✔True: Hypertensive retinopathy is one of the
organs that can be damaged as a result of a hypertensive emergency.
A nurse is educating a patient about the signs and symptoms of a pulmonary embolism. The
nurse should include all of the following in her teaching except:
a. Dyspnea
,b. Palpitations
c. Elevated JVD
d. Chest pain upon expiration - correct answer ✔✔D
PE presenting signs and symptoms include dyspnea, palpitations, elevated JVD and chest pain
upon inspiration.
A nurse is teaching a newly licensed nurse about applicable nursing diagnoses related to
pulmonary embolism. The nurse should include all of the following diagnoses in her teaching
except:
a. Decreased cardiac output
b. Increased cardiac output
c. Impaired gas exchange
d. Ineffective tissue perfusion - correct answer ✔✔B
Applicable nursing diagnoses related to pulmonary embolism include: ineffective tissue
perfusion, decreased cardiac output and impaired gas exchange. Increased cardiac output is not
a manifestation of a pulmonary embolism.
. An aortic aneurysm pressing on the superior vena cava causes all of the following except:
a. Increased venous return
b. Distended neck veins
c. Edema of the face and arms
d. Decreased venous return - correct answer ✔✔A
Clinical manifestations of an aortic aneurysm that is compressing the superior vena cava
include: decreased venous return, resulting in distended neck veins and edema of the face and
arms. Increased venous return is not a manifestation of a compressed superior vena cava.
You are teaching a group of new nurses about risk factors for the development of a PE. You
know the group understands the teaching when they identify which of the following patients as
having an increased risk. Select all that apply.
, 1. 40 year old woman who is obese
2. 30 year old woman taking oral contraceptives
3. 25 year old man with ADHD
4. 60 year old man who smokes a pack a day - correct answer ✔✔Answer: 1, 2, 4
Rationale: Obesity and smoking cause hypercoagulability, which is one of the components of
Virchow's triad of factors increasing the risk for PE. The use of oral contraceptives also increases
the risk for PE. ADHD has no correlation to the risk of developing a PE.
You are performing an assessment on a patient with a suspected rupture of an aortic aneurysm.
Which of the following signs are indications of a rupture?
1. Heart rate of 50
2. Pain in abdomen or back
3. BP of 80/50
4. Heart rate of 120
5. Warm, dry skin - correct answer ✔✔Answer: 2, 3, 4
Rationale: Patients who have a ruptured aneurysm will display signs of hypovolemic shock,
including tachycardia, hypotension, diaphoresis, and pallor. Patients can also experience pain in
their abdomen, back, groin, or periumbilical area.
You are preparing to administer nitroprusside IV to a patient suffering from a hypertensive crisis
and need to calculate the MAP to properly titrate the dose. The patient's current blood pressure
is 210/120. What would be the patient's MAP? - correct answer ✔✔Answer: 150
Rationale: MAP can be calculated in several different ways, but one equation is ⅔ DP + ⅓ BP.
In this case the patient's systolic BP is 210 and the diastolic BP is 120. Plugging these numbers
into the equation gives you:
⅔ (120) + ⅓ (210) = MAP
80 + 70= MAP
150 = MAP
