Cardiovascular NCLEX Questions &
Correct Answers
A. Dysrhythmia - ✔✔The nurse is caring for a patient who was just admitted to the hospital
with an acute MI. What complication is the nurse most concerned will occur with this patient?
A. Dysrhythmia
B. Hyperkalemia
C. Respiratory failure
D. Hypovolemic shock
D. Female, age 48, with chronic angina and coronary artery disease (CAD) -
✔✔Which individual would be the most likely candidate for coronary artery bypass
grafting (CABG) surgery?
A. Male, age 25, with severe cardiomyopathy
B. Male, age 85, with chronic heart failure (HF)
C. Female, age 62, with malignant hypertension
D. Female, age 48, with chronic angina and coronary artery disease (CAD)
C. Administration of morphine - ✔✔A patient has been admitted to the coronary care unit
with a diagnosis of acute MI. The patient is experiencing severe chest pain. What intervention is
MOST likely to relieve the patient's pain?
A. Proper positioning
B. Administration of codeine
C. Administration of morphine
,D. Administration of beta blockers
D. "You will be able to resume sexual relationships but you may have to make some slight
changes." - ✔✔A patient says to the LPN/LVN, "I guess now after my heart attack, I won't
be able to have sex anymore." Which of these responses by the nurse is most appropriate?
A. "What makes you think you will not be able to have sex again?"
B. "There are other ways besides sex to demonstrate your affection."
C. "You will have to wait at least 6 months, but then you will be able to have normal sex."
D. "You will be able to resume sexual relationships but you may have to make some
slight changes."
C. "I should swallow 3 nitroglycerines, 5 minutes apart if I have chest pain." - ✔✔A
patient with angina has been given instructions concerning his care. Which of these
statements, if made by the patient, indicates a need for further instruction?
A. "If my mouth is dry, and I need a nitroglycerine, I should sip water first."
B. "I'll try not to go out-of-doors when the weather is extremely chilly."
C. "I should swallow 3 nitroglycerines, 5 minutes apart if I have chest pain."
D. "I'm planning to take a nitroglycerin pill before I do activities that have caused me to
have chest pain in the past."
B. Taking the patient's vital signs
E. Assessing the pulses distal to the catheterization site - ✔✔Immediately following a
patient's cardiac catheterization, what are the highest priority interventions when the
patient returns to his room? (Select all that apply.)
A. Allowing the patient to rest
B. Taking the patient's vital signs
C. Administering oxygen via mask
D. Monitoring the electrocardiogram (ECG)
E. Assessing the pulses distal to the catheterization site
, B. Cardiac enzyme levels
D. Patient history and physical exam - ✔✔A patient with a 10-year history of angina is
admitted to the unit with chest pain. The working medical diagnosis is to rule out MI. Definitive
diagnosis of MI will be based on which information? (Select all that apply.)
A. ECG Correct
B. Cardiac enzyme levels
C. Fluid and electrolyte status
D. Patient history and physical exam
E. CBC (complete blood count) with differential and ABGs (arterial blood gases)
B. Acute kidney injury - ✔✔A postcardiac surgery client with a BUN level of 45mg/dL and
a serum creatine level of 2.2 mg/dL has a total 2 hour urine output of 25 mL. The nurse
understands that the client is at risk for which?
A. Hypovolemia
B. Acute kidney injury
C. glomerulonephritis
D. Urinary tract infection
D. premedicate the client with an analgesic before ambulating - ✔✔The nurse is preparing
to ambulate a postoperative client after cardiac surgery. The nurse plans to do which to enable
the client to best tolerate ambulation?
A. Provide the client with a walker
B. Remove the telemetry equipment
C. encourage the client to cough and deep breathe
D. premedicate the client with an analgesic before ambulating
C. Check the client status and lead placement - ✔✔A client is wearing a continuous
cardiac monitor which begins to alarm at the nurse's station. The nurse sees no
electrocardiographic complexes on the screen. The nurse should do which first?
A. Call a code blue
Correct Answers
A. Dysrhythmia - ✔✔The nurse is caring for a patient who was just admitted to the hospital
with an acute MI. What complication is the nurse most concerned will occur with this patient?
A. Dysrhythmia
B. Hyperkalemia
C. Respiratory failure
D. Hypovolemic shock
D. Female, age 48, with chronic angina and coronary artery disease (CAD) -
✔✔Which individual would be the most likely candidate for coronary artery bypass
grafting (CABG) surgery?
A. Male, age 25, with severe cardiomyopathy
B. Male, age 85, with chronic heart failure (HF)
C. Female, age 62, with malignant hypertension
D. Female, age 48, with chronic angina and coronary artery disease (CAD)
C. Administration of morphine - ✔✔A patient has been admitted to the coronary care unit
with a diagnosis of acute MI. The patient is experiencing severe chest pain. What intervention is
MOST likely to relieve the patient's pain?
A. Proper positioning
B. Administration of codeine
C. Administration of morphine
,D. Administration of beta blockers
D. "You will be able to resume sexual relationships but you may have to make some slight
changes." - ✔✔A patient says to the LPN/LVN, "I guess now after my heart attack, I won't
be able to have sex anymore." Which of these responses by the nurse is most appropriate?
A. "What makes you think you will not be able to have sex again?"
B. "There are other ways besides sex to demonstrate your affection."
C. "You will have to wait at least 6 months, but then you will be able to have normal sex."
D. "You will be able to resume sexual relationships but you may have to make some
slight changes."
C. "I should swallow 3 nitroglycerines, 5 minutes apart if I have chest pain." - ✔✔A
patient with angina has been given instructions concerning his care. Which of these
statements, if made by the patient, indicates a need for further instruction?
A. "If my mouth is dry, and I need a nitroglycerine, I should sip water first."
B. "I'll try not to go out-of-doors when the weather is extremely chilly."
C. "I should swallow 3 nitroglycerines, 5 minutes apart if I have chest pain."
D. "I'm planning to take a nitroglycerin pill before I do activities that have caused me to
have chest pain in the past."
B. Taking the patient's vital signs
E. Assessing the pulses distal to the catheterization site - ✔✔Immediately following a
patient's cardiac catheterization, what are the highest priority interventions when the
patient returns to his room? (Select all that apply.)
A. Allowing the patient to rest
B. Taking the patient's vital signs
C. Administering oxygen via mask
D. Monitoring the electrocardiogram (ECG)
E. Assessing the pulses distal to the catheterization site
, B. Cardiac enzyme levels
D. Patient history and physical exam - ✔✔A patient with a 10-year history of angina is
admitted to the unit with chest pain. The working medical diagnosis is to rule out MI. Definitive
diagnosis of MI will be based on which information? (Select all that apply.)
A. ECG Correct
B. Cardiac enzyme levels
C. Fluid and electrolyte status
D. Patient history and physical exam
E. CBC (complete blood count) with differential and ABGs (arterial blood gases)
B. Acute kidney injury - ✔✔A postcardiac surgery client with a BUN level of 45mg/dL and
a serum creatine level of 2.2 mg/dL has a total 2 hour urine output of 25 mL. The nurse
understands that the client is at risk for which?
A. Hypovolemia
B. Acute kidney injury
C. glomerulonephritis
D. Urinary tract infection
D. premedicate the client with an analgesic before ambulating - ✔✔The nurse is preparing
to ambulate a postoperative client after cardiac surgery. The nurse plans to do which to enable
the client to best tolerate ambulation?
A. Provide the client with a walker
B. Remove the telemetry equipment
C. encourage the client to cough and deep breathe
D. premedicate the client with an analgesic before ambulating
C. Check the client status and lead placement - ✔✔A client is wearing a continuous
cardiac monitor which begins to alarm at the nurse's station. The nurse sees no
electrocardiographic complexes on the screen. The nurse should do which first?
A. Call a code blue
