AACN Certification CCRN/PCCN Critical Care Exam 1 |
2026/2027 | With Complete Solutions
AACN Correct Answers certify nurses; protect consumer by
establishing high standards of professional practice
ABG Critical Values Correct Answers PaO2 of <60 mm Hg;
PaCO2 of >50 mm Hg; pH of <7.25 or >7.60
Accurate hemodynamic data Correct Answers It can be
obtained when patient is supine, HOB up to 45 degrees, or
lateral positions from 30 to 90 degrees
Acute Respiratory Failure (ARF) Correct Answers increases
tidal volume when compensating; causes tachycardia and
increased BP, which leads to dysrhythmias, angina, bradycardia,
hypotension, cardiac arrest
Advantages of Tracheostomy Correct Answers shorter than
ETT; airflow resistance is less than ETT; better tolerated than
ETT; requires less sedation or restraint use than ETT; allows
patient to talk; makes oral hygiene easier; permits oral intake
Adverse Effects of Bronchodilators Correct Answers
Tachycardia; dysrhythmias; tremors; hypokalemia; anxiety;
bronchospasm; dyspnea
Airway Pressure-Release Ventilation (APRV) Correct Answers
provides two levels of CPAP, one during inspiration and one
during expiration; Allow unrestricted spontaneous breathing;
,starts at elevated pressure (P-high), followed by low pressure (P-
low); lowers PIP: alternatives to V-A/C or P-A/C
amylase Correct Answers breaks down carbohydrates
Anxiety Correct Answers linked to reward and punishment
centers of brain; marked by agitation, apprehension, and
autonomic arousal
Anxiety and Sedation Measurement tools Correct Answers
Richmond agitation-sedation scale (RASS); the Ramsay
Sedation Scale (evaluate postop patients; include 3 levels of
wakefulness and 3 levels of sedation); the Sedation-Agitation
Scale (1 is unarousable, 7 is dangerously agitated)
Apnea Alarm Causes and Intervention Correct Answers Vent is
set for <20 seconds and no exhalation detected is the cause;
assess for cause of lack of spontaneous respiratory effect;
physically stimulate patient; encourage patient to take a deep
breath, reverse sedatives or narcotics; manually ventilate
patients; notify RT/MD to modify vent settings
apneustic respiration Correct Answers gasping inspirations
followed by short, ineffective expirations; associated with
lesions to pons
Arterial Oxygen Saturation of Hgb (SaO2) Correct Answers
normal is 92% to 99%; represents the way oxygen is transported
to tissues; measured from arterial blood sample or pulse ox; will
drop also if PaO2 drops
,Arterial Pressure Monitoring Correct Answers For patients at
risk for compromised tissue perfusion and volume status; need
frequent lab work; has hypo or hypertension; and takes
vasoactive agents (ie. Dopamine); Radial artery is site of choice,
also femoral and brachial. Most accurate method of getting
systemic BP; pressure should be @ 300 mm Hg; gives beat-by-
beat info; NIBP should be lower than invasive
Ask-Tell-Ask (Communication) Correct Answers
Communication technique that assesses concerns before
providing info
Assessing dynamic responsiveness (doing the square wave test)
Correct Answers activate the fast flush valve/actuator on the
pressure tubing system for at least 1 second; should be done
after catheter insertion; once per shift; and after opening the
system
Assessment of jugular venous pressure Correct Answers look
for highest point of pulsation; measure the vertical distance
between this pulsation and the angle of Louis in cm; add 5 cm to
this number for an estimation of CVP
Assist/Control (A/C) Ventilation (volume ventilation) Correct
Answers for patient who can breathe spontaneously; delivers
preset number of breaths of a preset tidal volume; when patient
initiates a breath, ventilator delivers one as well; indicated it
patient whose respiratory muscles are too weak or unable to
perform WOB;
, Auto-PEEP Correct Answers the spontaneous development of
PEEP due to gas trapping in lung from insufficient expiratory
time and incomplete exhalation, rapid RR, high VE demand,
airflow obstruction, inverse I:E ratio ventilation.
Barotrauma (Pressure Trauma) (Complication of Mechanical
Ventilation) Correct Answers alveolar tear or rupture due to
excessive peak inflating volume; may occur with PEEP, high
tidal volume; may cause subcut. emphysema; life-threatening
complication is tension pneumothorax, which causes lung
collapse, tachycardia, and hypotension;
Behavioral Pain Scale (Pain Measurement Tool for nonverbal
patient) Correct Answers scale of 1 to 4; looks at facial
expression (relaxed; partially tightened; fully tightened;
grimacing); looks at upper limbs (no movement; partially bent;
fully bent; permanent retracted); looks at compliance with
ventilation (tolerating movement; coughing; fighting ventilators;
unable to control)
Beneficence Correct Answers the duty to provide benefits to
others when in a position to do so, to help balance harms and
benefits; the benefits of an action should outweigh the burdens
Benefits of Epidural Analgesia ("CAINEs") Correct Answers
increased vital capacity and functional residual capacity of
lungs; improve airway resistance; coronary artery vasodilation;
decreased BP and HR; less N&V; faster return of GI function;
decreased total opioid requirement; decreased sedation; earlier
extubation, mobilization; decreased length of stay
2026/2027 | With Complete Solutions
AACN Correct Answers certify nurses; protect consumer by
establishing high standards of professional practice
ABG Critical Values Correct Answers PaO2 of <60 mm Hg;
PaCO2 of >50 mm Hg; pH of <7.25 or >7.60
Accurate hemodynamic data Correct Answers It can be
obtained when patient is supine, HOB up to 45 degrees, or
lateral positions from 30 to 90 degrees
Acute Respiratory Failure (ARF) Correct Answers increases
tidal volume when compensating; causes tachycardia and
increased BP, which leads to dysrhythmias, angina, bradycardia,
hypotension, cardiac arrest
Advantages of Tracheostomy Correct Answers shorter than
ETT; airflow resistance is less than ETT; better tolerated than
ETT; requires less sedation or restraint use than ETT; allows
patient to talk; makes oral hygiene easier; permits oral intake
Adverse Effects of Bronchodilators Correct Answers
Tachycardia; dysrhythmias; tremors; hypokalemia; anxiety;
bronchospasm; dyspnea
Airway Pressure-Release Ventilation (APRV) Correct Answers
provides two levels of CPAP, one during inspiration and one
during expiration; Allow unrestricted spontaneous breathing;
,starts at elevated pressure (P-high), followed by low pressure (P-
low); lowers PIP: alternatives to V-A/C or P-A/C
amylase Correct Answers breaks down carbohydrates
Anxiety Correct Answers linked to reward and punishment
centers of brain; marked by agitation, apprehension, and
autonomic arousal
Anxiety and Sedation Measurement tools Correct Answers
Richmond agitation-sedation scale (RASS); the Ramsay
Sedation Scale (evaluate postop patients; include 3 levels of
wakefulness and 3 levels of sedation); the Sedation-Agitation
Scale (1 is unarousable, 7 is dangerously agitated)
Apnea Alarm Causes and Intervention Correct Answers Vent is
set for <20 seconds and no exhalation detected is the cause;
assess for cause of lack of spontaneous respiratory effect;
physically stimulate patient; encourage patient to take a deep
breath, reverse sedatives or narcotics; manually ventilate
patients; notify RT/MD to modify vent settings
apneustic respiration Correct Answers gasping inspirations
followed by short, ineffective expirations; associated with
lesions to pons
Arterial Oxygen Saturation of Hgb (SaO2) Correct Answers
normal is 92% to 99%; represents the way oxygen is transported
to tissues; measured from arterial blood sample or pulse ox; will
drop also if PaO2 drops
,Arterial Pressure Monitoring Correct Answers For patients at
risk for compromised tissue perfusion and volume status; need
frequent lab work; has hypo or hypertension; and takes
vasoactive agents (ie. Dopamine); Radial artery is site of choice,
also femoral and brachial. Most accurate method of getting
systemic BP; pressure should be @ 300 mm Hg; gives beat-by-
beat info; NIBP should be lower than invasive
Ask-Tell-Ask (Communication) Correct Answers
Communication technique that assesses concerns before
providing info
Assessing dynamic responsiveness (doing the square wave test)
Correct Answers activate the fast flush valve/actuator on the
pressure tubing system for at least 1 second; should be done
after catheter insertion; once per shift; and after opening the
system
Assessment of jugular venous pressure Correct Answers look
for highest point of pulsation; measure the vertical distance
between this pulsation and the angle of Louis in cm; add 5 cm to
this number for an estimation of CVP
Assist/Control (A/C) Ventilation (volume ventilation) Correct
Answers for patient who can breathe spontaneously; delivers
preset number of breaths of a preset tidal volume; when patient
initiates a breath, ventilator delivers one as well; indicated it
patient whose respiratory muscles are too weak or unable to
perform WOB;
, Auto-PEEP Correct Answers the spontaneous development of
PEEP due to gas trapping in lung from insufficient expiratory
time and incomplete exhalation, rapid RR, high VE demand,
airflow obstruction, inverse I:E ratio ventilation.
Barotrauma (Pressure Trauma) (Complication of Mechanical
Ventilation) Correct Answers alveolar tear or rupture due to
excessive peak inflating volume; may occur with PEEP, high
tidal volume; may cause subcut. emphysema; life-threatening
complication is tension pneumothorax, which causes lung
collapse, tachycardia, and hypotension;
Behavioral Pain Scale (Pain Measurement Tool for nonverbal
patient) Correct Answers scale of 1 to 4; looks at facial
expression (relaxed; partially tightened; fully tightened;
grimacing); looks at upper limbs (no movement; partially bent;
fully bent; permanent retracted); looks at compliance with
ventilation (tolerating movement; coughing; fighting ventilators;
unable to control)
Beneficence Correct Answers the duty to provide benefits to
others when in a position to do so, to help balance harms and
benefits; the benefits of an action should outweigh the burdens
Benefits of Epidural Analgesia ("CAINEs") Correct Answers
increased vital capacity and functional residual capacity of
lungs; improve airway resistance; coronary artery vasodilation;
decreased BP and HR; less N&V; faster return of GI function;
decreased total opioid requirement; decreased sedation; earlier
extubation, mobilization; decreased length of stay
