ALS/ACLS - Red Cross Final Exam Updated
Actual Question and Answer (2026/2027) |
A+ Verified
• A patient with dyspnea and a change in mental status arrives at the emergency
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 0.5 mg every 4 to 5 minutes
• A patient experiencing an unstable bradyarrhythmia does not respond to atropine
or transcutaneous pacing. Which intervention would the healthcare provider use
next? -✓✓ Administration of an epinephrine infusion
• 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 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 fever the past week."
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."
• A patient's ECG reveals a narrow QRS complex with a regular rhythm, indicating
a narrow-complex supraventricular tachyarrhythmia. The patient is
hemodynamically stable. Which intervention would be initiated first? -✓✓ Vagal
maneuvers
• 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
• 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
• A patient is brought into the emergency department. The patient does not have a
pulse. The cardiac monitor shows the following rhythm. The team interprets this as
which condition? -✓✓ Ventricular tachycardia
• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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
Actual Question and Answer (2026/2027) |
A+ Verified
• A patient with dyspnea and a change in mental status arrives at the emergency
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 0.5 mg every 4 to 5 minutes
• A patient experiencing an unstable bradyarrhythmia does not respond to atropine
or transcutaneous pacing. Which intervention would the healthcare provider use
next? -✓✓ Administration of an epinephrine infusion
• 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 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 fever the past week."
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."
• A patient's ECG reveals a narrow QRS complex with a regular rhythm, indicating
a narrow-complex supraventricular tachyarrhythmia. The patient is
hemodynamically stable. Which intervention would be initiated first? -✓✓ Vagal
maneuvers
• 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
• 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
• A patient is brought into the emergency department. The patient does not have a
pulse. The cardiac monitor shows the following rhythm. The team interprets this as
which condition? -✓✓ Ventricular tachycardia
• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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
