Navigating the Critical Path: A Comprehensive
Guide to Mastering HESI Practice in Critical
Care Nursing.
Fully Certified Exam Study Guide with 100%
Verified Questions and Answers
Current Updated Exam Guide 2025/2026.
The nurse is providing postprocedure care to a client who had a cardiac catheterization. The
client begins to manifest signs and symptoms associated with embolization. Which action
should the nurse take?
a. Notify the primary healthcare provider immediately
b. Apply a warm, moist compress to the incision site
c. Increase the intravenous fluid rate by 20 mL/hr
d. Monitor vital signs more frequently - ansa
A nurse observes a window washer falling 25 feet (7.6 m) to the ground. The nurse rushes to
the scene and determines that the person is in cardiopulmonary arrest. What should the nurse
do first?
a. Feel for a pulse
b. Begin chest compressions
c. Leave to call for assistance
d. Perform the abdominal thrust maneuver - ansb
A client reports left-sided chest pain after playing racquetball. The client is hospitalized and
diagnosed with left pneumothorax. When assessing the client's left chest area, the nurse
expects to identify which finding?
a. Dull sound on percussion
b. Vocal fremitus on palpation
c. Rales with rhonchi on auscultation
d. Absence of breath sounds on auscultation - ansd
A client is admitted to the hospital with partial- and full-thickness burns of the chest and face
sustained while trying to extinguish a brush fire. Which is the nurse's priority concern?
a. Loss of skin integrity caused by the burns
b. Potential infection as a result of the burn injury
c. Inadequate gas exchange caused by smoke inhalation
d. Decreased fluid volume because of the depth of the burns - ansc
,Navigating the Critical Path: A Comprehensive
Guide to Mastering HESI Practice in Critical
Care Nursing.
Fully Certified Exam Study Guide with 100%
Verified Questions and Answers
Current Updated Exam Guide 2025/2026.
During the first 48 hours after a client has sustained a thermal injury, which conditions should
the nurse assess for?
a. Hypokalemia and hyponatremia
b. Hyperkalemia and hyponatremia
c. Hypokalemia and hypernatremia
d. Hyperkalemia and hypernatremia - ansb
A nurse is assessing a client's ECG reading. The client's atrial and ventricular heart rates are
equal at 88 beats per min. The PR interval is 0.14 seconds, and the QRS width is 0.10
seconds. Rhythm is regular with normal P waves and QRS complexes. How will the nurse
interpret this rhythm?
a. Normal sinus rhythm
b. Sinus tachycardia
c. Sinus bradycardia
d. Sinus arrhythmia - ansa
The nurse is caring for a client with a diagnosis of necrotizing fasciitis. Which is the priority
concern of the nurse when caring for this client?
a. Fluid volume
b. Skin integrity
c. Physical mobility
d. Urinary elimination - ansb
A client who had extensive pelvic surgery 24 hours ago becomes cyanotic, is gasping for
breath, and reports right-sided chest pain. What should the nurse do first?
a. Obtain vital signs
b. Initiate a cardiac arrest code
c. Administer oxygen using a face mask
d. Encourage the use of an incentive spirometer - ansc
,Navigating the Critical Path: A Comprehensive
Guide to Mastering HESI Practice in Critical
Care Nursing.
Fully Certified Exam Study Guide with 100%
Verified Questions and Answers
Current Updated Exam Guide 2025/2026.
A nurse is caring for a client with severe burns. The nurse determines that this client is at risk
for hypovolemic shock. Which physiologic finding supports the nurse's conclusion?
a. Decreased rate of glomerular filtration
b. Excessive blood loss through the burned tissues
c. Plasma proteins moving out of the intravascular compartment
d. Sodium retention occurring as a result of the aldosterone mechanism - ansc
The nurse is caring for a client with burns and reviews the client's laboratory results: blood
urea nitrogen (BUN), 30 mg/dL (10.2 mmol/L); creatinine, 2.4 mg/dL (184 mcmol/L); serum
potassium, 6.3 mEq/L (6.3 mmol/L); pH, 7.1; Po 2, 90 mm Hg; and hemoglobin (Hgb), 7.4
g/dL (74 mmol/L). Which condition does the nurse suspect the client has based upon these
findings?
a. Azotemia
b. Hypokalemia
c. Metabolic alkalosis
d. Respiratory alkalosis - ansa
A nurse is caring for a client who experienced serious burns in a fire. Which relationship
between a client's burned body surface area and fluid loss should the nurse consider when
evaluating fluid loss in a client with burns?
a. Equal
b. Unrelated
c. Inversely related
d. Directly proportional - ansd
A burn client is receiving the open method for wound treatment. Which information will the
nurse explain to the client?
a. Bathing will not be permitted.
b. Dressings will be changed daily.
c. Personal protective equipment will be worn by staff.
, Navigating the Critical Path: A Comprehensive
Guide to Mastering HESI Practice in Critical
Care Nursing.
Fully Certified Exam Study Guide with 100%
Verified Questions and Answers
Current Updated Exam Guide 2025/2026.
d. Room temperature will be kept below 72° F (22.2° C). - ansc
A client presents to the emergency department with weakness and dizziness. The blood
pressure is 90/60 mm Hg, pulse is 92 and weak, and body weight reflects a 3-pound (1.4
kilogram) loss in two days. The weather has been hot. Which condition should the nurse
conclude is the priority for this client?
a. Deficient fluid volume
b. Impaired skin integrity
c. Inadequate nutritional intake
d. Decreased participation in activities - ansa
A client is admitted with severe burns. The nurse is caring for the client 36 hours after the
client's admission and identifies the client's potassium level of 6.0 mEq/L (6.0 mmol/L).
Which drink will the nurse recommend be included in the client's diet?
a. Milk
b. Tea
c. Orange juice
d. Tomato juice - ansb
A woman comes to the office of her healthcare provider reporting shortness of breath and
epigastric distress that is not relieved by antacids. To which question would a woman
experiencing a myocardial infarction respond differently than a man?
a. "Do you have chest pain?"
b. "Are you feeling anxious?"
c. "Do you have any palpitations?"
d. "Are you feeling short of breath?" - ansa
During a vertex vaginal birth the nurse notes meconium-stained amniotic fluid. What is the
priority nursing intervention for the newborn?
a. Stimulating crying
b. Suctioning the airway
c. Using an Ambu bag with oxygen support
Guide to Mastering HESI Practice in Critical
Care Nursing.
Fully Certified Exam Study Guide with 100%
Verified Questions and Answers
Current Updated Exam Guide 2025/2026.
The nurse is providing postprocedure care to a client who had a cardiac catheterization. The
client begins to manifest signs and symptoms associated with embolization. Which action
should the nurse take?
a. Notify the primary healthcare provider immediately
b. Apply a warm, moist compress to the incision site
c. Increase the intravenous fluid rate by 20 mL/hr
d. Monitor vital signs more frequently - ansa
A nurse observes a window washer falling 25 feet (7.6 m) to the ground. The nurse rushes to
the scene and determines that the person is in cardiopulmonary arrest. What should the nurse
do first?
a. Feel for a pulse
b. Begin chest compressions
c. Leave to call for assistance
d. Perform the abdominal thrust maneuver - ansb
A client reports left-sided chest pain after playing racquetball. The client is hospitalized and
diagnosed with left pneumothorax. When assessing the client's left chest area, the nurse
expects to identify which finding?
a. Dull sound on percussion
b. Vocal fremitus on palpation
c. Rales with rhonchi on auscultation
d. Absence of breath sounds on auscultation - ansd
A client is admitted to the hospital with partial- and full-thickness burns of the chest and face
sustained while trying to extinguish a brush fire. Which is the nurse's priority concern?
a. Loss of skin integrity caused by the burns
b. Potential infection as a result of the burn injury
c. Inadequate gas exchange caused by smoke inhalation
d. Decreased fluid volume because of the depth of the burns - ansc
,Navigating the Critical Path: A Comprehensive
Guide to Mastering HESI Practice in Critical
Care Nursing.
Fully Certified Exam Study Guide with 100%
Verified Questions and Answers
Current Updated Exam Guide 2025/2026.
During the first 48 hours after a client has sustained a thermal injury, which conditions should
the nurse assess for?
a. Hypokalemia and hyponatremia
b. Hyperkalemia and hyponatremia
c. Hypokalemia and hypernatremia
d. Hyperkalemia and hypernatremia - ansb
A nurse is assessing a client's ECG reading. The client's atrial and ventricular heart rates are
equal at 88 beats per min. The PR interval is 0.14 seconds, and the QRS width is 0.10
seconds. Rhythm is regular with normal P waves and QRS complexes. How will the nurse
interpret this rhythm?
a. Normal sinus rhythm
b. Sinus tachycardia
c. Sinus bradycardia
d. Sinus arrhythmia - ansa
The nurse is caring for a client with a diagnosis of necrotizing fasciitis. Which is the priority
concern of the nurse when caring for this client?
a. Fluid volume
b. Skin integrity
c. Physical mobility
d. Urinary elimination - ansb
A client who had extensive pelvic surgery 24 hours ago becomes cyanotic, is gasping for
breath, and reports right-sided chest pain. What should the nurse do first?
a. Obtain vital signs
b. Initiate a cardiac arrest code
c. Administer oxygen using a face mask
d. Encourage the use of an incentive spirometer - ansc
,Navigating the Critical Path: A Comprehensive
Guide to Mastering HESI Practice in Critical
Care Nursing.
Fully Certified Exam Study Guide with 100%
Verified Questions and Answers
Current Updated Exam Guide 2025/2026.
A nurse is caring for a client with severe burns. The nurse determines that this client is at risk
for hypovolemic shock. Which physiologic finding supports the nurse's conclusion?
a. Decreased rate of glomerular filtration
b. Excessive blood loss through the burned tissues
c. Plasma proteins moving out of the intravascular compartment
d. Sodium retention occurring as a result of the aldosterone mechanism - ansc
The nurse is caring for a client with burns and reviews the client's laboratory results: blood
urea nitrogen (BUN), 30 mg/dL (10.2 mmol/L); creatinine, 2.4 mg/dL (184 mcmol/L); serum
potassium, 6.3 mEq/L (6.3 mmol/L); pH, 7.1; Po 2, 90 mm Hg; and hemoglobin (Hgb), 7.4
g/dL (74 mmol/L). Which condition does the nurse suspect the client has based upon these
findings?
a. Azotemia
b. Hypokalemia
c. Metabolic alkalosis
d. Respiratory alkalosis - ansa
A nurse is caring for a client who experienced serious burns in a fire. Which relationship
between a client's burned body surface area and fluid loss should the nurse consider when
evaluating fluid loss in a client with burns?
a. Equal
b. Unrelated
c. Inversely related
d. Directly proportional - ansd
A burn client is receiving the open method for wound treatment. Which information will the
nurse explain to the client?
a. Bathing will not be permitted.
b. Dressings will be changed daily.
c. Personal protective equipment will be worn by staff.
, Navigating the Critical Path: A Comprehensive
Guide to Mastering HESI Practice in Critical
Care Nursing.
Fully Certified Exam Study Guide with 100%
Verified Questions and Answers
Current Updated Exam Guide 2025/2026.
d. Room temperature will be kept below 72° F (22.2° C). - ansc
A client presents to the emergency department with weakness and dizziness. The blood
pressure is 90/60 mm Hg, pulse is 92 and weak, and body weight reflects a 3-pound (1.4
kilogram) loss in two days. The weather has been hot. Which condition should the nurse
conclude is the priority for this client?
a. Deficient fluid volume
b. Impaired skin integrity
c. Inadequate nutritional intake
d. Decreased participation in activities - ansa
A client is admitted with severe burns. The nurse is caring for the client 36 hours after the
client's admission and identifies the client's potassium level of 6.0 mEq/L (6.0 mmol/L).
Which drink will the nurse recommend be included in the client's diet?
a. Milk
b. Tea
c. Orange juice
d. Tomato juice - ansb
A woman comes to the office of her healthcare provider reporting shortness of breath and
epigastric distress that is not relieved by antacids. To which question would a woman
experiencing a myocardial infarction respond differently than a man?
a. "Do you have chest pain?"
b. "Are you feeling anxious?"
c. "Do you have any palpitations?"
d. "Are you feeling short of breath?" - ansa
During a vertex vaginal birth the nurse notes meconium-stained amniotic fluid. What is the
priority nursing intervention for the newborn?
a. Stimulating crying
b. Suctioning the airway
c. Using an Ambu bag with oxygen support
