AHA BLS EXAM PRACTICE QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS 2026
◉ Symptoms of MI. Answer: - severe pain or discomfort in center of
chest
- may last more than a few minutes
- spread to one or both arms, neck, back, jaw, stomach
- shortness of breath
- cold sweats
- nausea
- vomiting
- lightheadedness
◉ Stroke. Answer: second leading cause of death in the world,
leading cause of disability in the U.S.
◉ How to spot a stroke. Answer: FAST
F: face drooping
A: arm weakness
S: speech difficulty
T: time to call 911
, ◉ Symptoms of stroke. Answer: - Sudden numbness or weakness of
the face, arm, or leg
- sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
- sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
- sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance, or coordination
- sudden, severe headache with no known cause
◉ Mechanical Thrombectomy. Answer: surgical removal of clot that
is only used for large clots; not commonly used due to location of
most clots
done within 6 hours of acute stroke symptoms after receiving tPA
◉ Tissue Plasminogen Activator (tPA). Answer: clot-busting drug
a thrombolytic administered to some patients having a heart attack
or stroke to dissolve damaging blood clots
◉ Risk factors that can't be changed. Answer: heredity, gender, race,
age
◉ Risk factors that can be changed. Answer: cigarette smoking, high
BP, high cholesterol, obesity, lack of exercise
◉ Risk factors strongly correlated with MI and stroke. Answer:
untreated diabetes, TIA
ANSWERS 2026
◉ Symptoms of MI. Answer: - severe pain or discomfort in center of
chest
- may last more than a few minutes
- spread to one or both arms, neck, back, jaw, stomach
- shortness of breath
- cold sweats
- nausea
- vomiting
- lightheadedness
◉ Stroke. Answer: second leading cause of death in the world,
leading cause of disability in the U.S.
◉ How to spot a stroke. Answer: FAST
F: face drooping
A: arm weakness
S: speech difficulty
T: time to call 911
, ◉ Symptoms of stroke. Answer: - Sudden numbness or weakness of
the face, arm, or leg
- sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
- sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
- sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance, or coordination
- sudden, severe headache with no known cause
◉ Mechanical Thrombectomy. Answer: surgical removal of clot that
is only used for large clots; not commonly used due to location of
most clots
done within 6 hours of acute stroke symptoms after receiving tPA
◉ Tissue Plasminogen Activator (tPA). Answer: clot-busting drug
a thrombolytic administered to some patients having a heart attack
or stroke to dissolve damaging blood clots
◉ Risk factors that can't be changed. Answer: heredity, gender, race,
age
◉ Risk factors that can be changed. Answer: cigarette smoking, high
BP, high cholesterol, obesity, lack of exercise
◉ Risk factors strongly correlated with MI and stroke. Answer:
untreated diabetes, TIA
