ALS/ACLS - Red Cross Final Exam
Questions and Answers
1. A patient with dyspnea and a change in mental status arrives at
the emer- gency department. The healthcare team completes the
necessary assessments and begins to care for the patient, including
initiating cardiac monitoring, pulse oximetry, supplemental oxygen
and vascular access. The team reviews the patient's ECG rhythm
strip, as shown in the following figure. Which agent would the team
most likely administer?: Atropine 1 mg every 3 to 5 minutes
2. A patient with bradycardia and signs of hemodynamic
compromise does not respond to atropine. Which interventions
could the healthcare provider use next?: Epinephrine or dopamine infusion
Transcutaneous pacing
3. The resuscitation team suspects that hyperkalemia is the cause of
cardiac arrest in a patient brought to the emergency department.
Which finding on a 12-lead ECG would confirm this suspicion?: Wide-complex
ventricular rhythm and tall, peaked T waves
4. A patient's ECG reveals a tachyarrhythmia. The patient is
hemodynamically stable and has a heart rate ranging from 120 to
135 beats per minute. Based on the findings of the secondary
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,assessment, which statement(s) by the patient would the team
interpret as a possible contributing cause?: 1. "I've had a terrible cold
with a horrible cough and today I developed a fever."
2. "I've been so anxious lately because I just lost my job."
3. "I've been vomiting for the past 2 days from a gastrointestinal bug."
5. A patient's ECG reveals a narrow QRS complex with a regular
rhythm, in- dicating a narrow-complex supraventricular
tachyarrhythmia. The patient is not showing signs of hemodynamic
compromise. Which intervention would be initiated first if it does not
delay other interventions?: Vagal maneuvers
6. A patient in the telemetry unit is stable. Cardiac monitoring
indicates the patient has ventricular tachycardia with a pulse.
Further assessment reveals that the corrected QT interval is
greater than 0.46 seconds. Which treatment would be appropriate at
this time?: Synchronized cardioversion
7. An ECG strip of a patient in the emergency department reveals the
following rhythm. Which feature would the healthcare provider
interpret as indicating atrial fibrillation?: Absence of discrete P waves and presence of
irregularly irregular QRS complexes
8. A patient is brought into the emergency department. The
patient does not have a pulse. The cardiac monitor shows the
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, following rhythm. The team interprets this as which condition?:
Ventricular tachycardia
9. A patient with acute renal failure experiences cardiac arrest. Just
before the cardiac arrest, the patient's ECG showed peaked T
waves. What might be causing the patient's cardiac arrest?:
Hyperkalemia
10. A member of the resuscitation team is preparing to
defibrillate a patient in cardiac arrest using a biphasic
defibrillator. The team member would set
the energy dose according to the manufacturer's recommendations,
which is usually:: 120 to 200 joules
11. A member of the resuscitation team is preparing to
administer medications intravenously to a patient in cardiac arrest.
The team member follows each medication administration with a
bolus of fluid. How much would the team member give?: 10 to 20 Ml
12. A 30-year-old patient has been brought to the emergency
department in full cardiac arrest. The cardiac monitor shows the
following rhythm. Interpretation of this rhythm would suggest which
of the following as a possible precipitating factor?: Electrocution
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Questions and Answers
1. A patient with dyspnea and a change in mental status arrives at
the emer- gency department. The healthcare team completes the
necessary assessments and begins to care for the patient, including
initiating cardiac monitoring, pulse oximetry, supplemental oxygen
and vascular access. The team reviews the patient's ECG rhythm
strip, as shown in the following figure. Which agent would the team
most likely administer?: Atropine 1 mg every 3 to 5 minutes
2. A patient with bradycardia and signs of hemodynamic
compromise does not respond to atropine. Which interventions
could the healthcare provider use next?: Epinephrine or dopamine infusion
Transcutaneous pacing
3. The resuscitation team suspects that hyperkalemia is the cause of
cardiac arrest in a patient brought to the emergency department.
Which finding on a 12-lead ECG would confirm this suspicion?: Wide-complex
ventricular rhythm and tall, peaked T waves
4. A patient's ECG reveals a tachyarrhythmia. The patient is
hemodynamically stable and has a heart rate ranging from 120 to
135 beats per minute. Based on the findings of the secondary
1/
17
,assessment, which statement(s) by the patient would the team
interpret as a possible contributing cause?: 1. "I've had a terrible cold
with a horrible cough and today I developed a fever."
2. "I've been so anxious lately because I just lost my job."
3. "I've been vomiting for the past 2 days from a gastrointestinal bug."
5. A patient's ECG reveals a narrow QRS complex with a regular
rhythm, in- dicating a narrow-complex supraventricular
tachyarrhythmia. The patient is not showing signs of hemodynamic
compromise. Which intervention would be initiated first if it does not
delay other interventions?: Vagal maneuvers
6. A patient in the telemetry unit is stable. Cardiac monitoring
indicates the patient has ventricular tachycardia with a pulse.
Further assessment reveals that the corrected QT interval is
greater than 0.46 seconds. Which treatment would be appropriate at
this time?: Synchronized cardioversion
7. An ECG strip of a patient in the emergency department reveals the
following rhythm. Which feature would the healthcare provider
interpret as indicating atrial fibrillation?: Absence of discrete P waves and presence of
irregularly irregular QRS complexes
8. A patient is brought into the emergency department. The
patient does not have a pulse. The cardiac monitor shows the
2/
17
, following rhythm. The team interprets this as which condition?:
Ventricular tachycardia
9. A patient with acute renal failure experiences cardiac arrest. Just
before the cardiac arrest, the patient's ECG showed peaked T
waves. What might be causing the patient's cardiac arrest?:
Hyperkalemia
10. A member of the resuscitation team is preparing to
defibrillate a patient in cardiac arrest using a biphasic
defibrillator. The team member would set
the energy dose according to the manufacturer's recommendations,
which is usually:: 120 to 200 joules
11. A member of the resuscitation team is preparing to
administer medications intravenously to a patient in cardiac arrest.
The team member follows each medication administration with a
bolus of fluid. How much would the team member give?: 10 to 20 Ml
12. A 30-year-old patient has been brought to the emergency
department in full cardiac arrest. The cardiac monitor shows the
following rhythm. Interpretation of this rhythm would suggest which
of the following as a possible precipitating factor?: Electrocution
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