WKU NURSING OB EXAMINATION 2025/2026 QUESTIONS
WITH SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
✔✔Amplitude rage undetectable? - ✔✔Absent variability
✔✔<5 bpm - ✔✔Minimal variability
✔✔6-25 bpm - ✔✔moderate variability
✔✔>25 bpm - ✔✔marked variability
✔✔Which type of variable is favorable? - ✔✔Moderate
✔✔What are the possible causes of absent and minimal variability? - ✔✔Fetal
hypoxemia and metabolic acidosis.
Fetal sleep cycles, tachycardia, extreme prematurity, congenital anomalies, medications
that cause CNS depression, and preexisting neurologic injury.
✔✔What are possible causes of Marked variability? - ✔✔Unclear or could be early sign
of hypoxia (just keep an eye on it)
✔✔What is fetal tachycardia considered? - ✔✔An early sign of fetal hypoxemia,
especially when associated with late decelerations and minimal or absent variability
✔✔What are possible causes of fetal tachycardia? - ✔✔Fetal hypoxia
Maternal fever (infection)
Hyperthyroidism
Maternal or fetal anemia
Parasympatholytic drugs
Atropine
Hydroxyzine (Atarax)
Sympathomimetic drugs
Ritodrine (Yutopar)
Terbutaline (Bricanyl) - elevate mom's heart beat, also babies
Chorioamnionitis
Fetal tachyarrhythmia
Prematurity
Fetal tachycardia that is due to fetal tachyarrhythmia associated with congenital
anomalies, in this case, ventricular septal defect. Fetal heart rate is 180 bpm. Notice the
"spike" pattern of the fetal heart rate.
✔✔What are possible causes of fetal bradycardia? - ✔✔Prolonged cord compression
Cord prolapse
Tetanic uterine contractions
Paracervical block
,Epidural and spinal anesthesia
Maternal seizures - baby is not getting oxygen
Rapid descent - baby comes out to fast
Vigorous vaginal examination
✔✔What are periodic changes? - ✔✔Those that occur with contractions
✔✔What are episodic changes - ✔✔not associated with uterine contractions
✔✔What are included in episodic changed? - ✔✔Accelerations and decelerations
✔✔What is an abrupt increase in FHR above the baseline rate (onset to peak <30
seconds)?
At least 15 beats/min above baseline and lasts 15 seconds or more, with return to
baseline less than 2 minutes from the start. - ✔✔Accelerations
✔✔Accelerations more than 10 minutes is considered what? - ✔✔Change in baseline
rate
✔✔Accelerations occur with what? - ✔✔Fetal movement or spontaneously
✔✔If fetal movement does not occur spontaneously what can be done? - ✔✔Fetal scalp
or vibroacoustic stimulation
✔✔What are caused by dominance of parasympathetic response and may be abnormal
or benign? - ✔✔Decelerations
✔✔How are decelerations categorized? - ✔✔Late, early, variable, or prolonged
✔✔What are visually apparent, gradual onset (onset to lowest point >30 seconds)
decrease in and return to baseline FHR associated with uterine contractions?
Last 15 seconds or more and return to baseline in less than 2 minutes. - ✔✔Early
decelerations
✔✔What causes early deceleration? - ✔✔Head compression
✔✔What nursing interventions are done for early decelerations? - ✔✔None required
✔✔What is a visually apparent, gradual (onset point >30 seconds) decrease in and
return to baseline FHR associated with uterine contractions?
, The deceleration begins after the contraction has started; and the lowest point of the
deceleration occurs after the peak of the contraction. Usually does not return to baseline
until after the contraction is over. - ✔✔Late deceleration
✔✔What are possible cases of late decelerations? - ✔✔Hypoxia or baby is not getting
enough oxygen
Worry about chronic problem; placental problem, cord compression
Star after contraction and end after the contraction ends
Fetal academia (respiratory acidosis)
Tachysystole (too many contractions to quick/too long)
Maternal hypotension
Placental eruption
Placental previa
Post term baby
DM mom
IUGR (intrauterine growth restriction)
Infection
✔✔Abrupt onset:< 30 seconds from onset to beginning of nadir, lasting > 15 seconds
but <2 minutes; depth >15 BPM - ✔✔Variable deceleration
✔✔What are causes of variable decelerations? - ✔✔Chord
compression/abruption/prolapse
✔✔Decrease of >15bpm lasting >2 minutes but less than 10 min (>10 minutes=baseline
change) - ✔✔Prolonged decelerations
✔✔Decelerations that occur with >50 % of uterine contractions within a 20 minute
period - ✔✔Recurrent
✔✔Decelerations that occur with <50% of uterine contractions within a 20 minute period
- ✔✔Intermittent
✔✔What has a smooth, undulating pattern, lasting at least 10 minutes with a fixed
period of three to five cycles per minute and an amplitude of 5-15 bpm. Short-term
variability is usually absent. - ✔✔Sinusoidal pattern
✔✔Unless you have given opioids what does a sinusoidal pattern mean? - ✔✔Mom is
getting septic and baby is suffering from fetal anemia
✔✔What are the tracing categories? - ✔✔Tier 1-3
✔✔What is included in tier 1? - ✔✔FHRB-110-160bpm
Variability- Moderate
WITH SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
✔✔Amplitude rage undetectable? - ✔✔Absent variability
✔✔<5 bpm - ✔✔Minimal variability
✔✔6-25 bpm - ✔✔moderate variability
✔✔>25 bpm - ✔✔marked variability
✔✔Which type of variable is favorable? - ✔✔Moderate
✔✔What are the possible causes of absent and minimal variability? - ✔✔Fetal
hypoxemia and metabolic acidosis.
Fetal sleep cycles, tachycardia, extreme prematurity, congenital anomalies, medications
that cause CNS depression, and preexisting neurologic injury.
✔✔What are possible causes of Marked variability? - ✔✔Unclear or could be early sign
of hypoxia (just keep an eye on it)
✔✔What is fetal tachycardia considered? - ✔✔An early sign of fetal hypoxemia,
especially when associated with late decelerations and minimal or absent variability
✔✔What are possible causes of fetal tachycardia? - ✔✔Fetal hypoxia
Maternal fever (infection)
Hyperthyroidism
Maternal or fetal anemia
Parasympatholytic drugs
Atropine
Hydroxyzine (Atarax)
Sympathomimetic drugs
Ritodrine (Yutopar)
Terbutaline (Bricanyl) - elevate mom's heart beat, also babies
Chorioamnionitis
Fetal tachyarrhythmia
Prematurity
Fetal tachycardia that is due to fetal tachyarrhythmia associated with congenital
anomalies, in this case, ventricular septal defect. Fetal heart rate is 180 bpm. Notice the
"spike" pattern of the fetal heart rate.
✔✔What are possible causes of fetal bradycardia? - ✔✔Prolonged cord compression
Cord prolapse
Tetanic uterine contractions
Paracervical block
,Epidural and spinal anesthesia
Maternal seizures - baby is not getting oxygen
Rapid descent - baby comes out to fast
Vigorous vaginal examination
✔✔What are periodic changes? - ✔✔Those that occur with contractions
✔✔What are episodic changes - ✔✔not associated with uterine contractions
✔✔What are included in episodic changed? - ✔✔Accelerations and decelerations
✔✔What is an abrupt increase in FHR above the baseline rate (onset to peak <30
seconds)?
At least 15 beats/min above baseline and lasts 15 seconds or more, with return to
baseline less than 2 minutes from the start. - ✔✔Accelerations
✔✔Accelerations more than 10 minutes is considered what? - ✔✔Change in baseline
rate
✔✔Accelerations occur with what? - ✔✔Fetal movement or spontaneously
✔✔If fetal movement does not occur spontaneously what can be done? - ✔✔Fetal scalp
or vibroacoustic stimulation
✔✔What are caused by dominance of parasympathetic response and may be abnormal
or benign? - ✔✔Decelerations
✔✔How are decelerations categorized? - ✔✔Late, early, variable, or prolonged
✔✔What are visually apparent, gradual onset (onset to lowest point >30 seconds)
decrease in and return to baseline FHR associated with uterine contractions?
Last 15 seconds or more and return to baseline in less than 2 minutes. - ✔✔Early
decelerations
✔✔What causes early deceleration? - ✔✔Head compression
✔✔What nursing interventions are done for early decelerations? - ✔✔None required
✔✔What is a visually apparent, gradual (onset point >30 seconds) decrease in and
return to baseline FHR associated with uterine contractions?
, The deceleration begins after the contraction has started; and the lowest point of the
deceleration occurs after the peak of the contraction. Usually does not return to baseline
until after the contraction is over. - ✔✔Late deceleration
✔✔What are possible cases of late decelerations? - ✔✔Hypoxia or baby is not getting
enough oxygen
Worry about chronic problem; placental problem, cord compression
Star after contraction and end after the contraction ends
Fetal academia (respiratory acidosis)
Tachysystole (too many contractions to quick/too long)
Maternal hypotension
Placental eruption
Placental previa
Post term baby
DM mom
IUGR (intrauterine growth restriction)
Infection
✔✔Abrupt onset:< 30 seconds from onset to beginning of nadir, lasting > 15 seconds
but <2 minutes; depth >15 BPM - ✔✔Variable deceleration
✔✔What are causes of variable decelerations? - ✔✔Chord
compression/abruption/prolapse
✔✔Decrease of >15bpm lasting >2 minutes but less than 10 min (>10 minutes=baseline
change) - ✔✔Prolonged decelerations
✔✔Decelerations that occur with >50 % of uterine contractions within a 20 minute
period - ✔✔Recurrent
✔✔Decelerations that occur with <50% of uterine contractions within a 20 minute period
- ✔✔Intermittent
✔✔What has a smooth, undulating pattern, lasting at least 10 minutes with a fixed
period of three to five cycles per minute and an amplitude of 5-15 bpm. Short-term
variability is usually absent. - ✔✔Sinusoidal pattern
✔✔Unless you have given opioids what does a sinusoidal pattern mean? - ✔✔Mom is
getting septic and baby is suffering from fetal anemia
✔✔What are the tracing categories? - ✔✔Tier 1-3
✔✔What is included in tier 1? - ✔✔FHRB-110-160bpm
Variability- Moderate
