UNDERSTANDING MEDICAL SURGICAL
NURSING
Actual Questions and Answers
Expert-Verified Explanation
This Exam contains:
✪ Multiple-choice and True/False Format
✪ Expert-Verified Explanations
✪ Verified with Trusted Textbooks
1. A patient presents with chest pain radiating to the left arm and jaw. What should the nurse do
first?
A. Administer nitroglycerin
B. Call the provider
C. Administer oxygen and obtain vital signs
D. Get an ECG
Answer: C
EXPLANATION: Administering oxygen and assessing vital signs help to stabilize the patient and provide
baseline data before further interventions.
2. A nurse is assessing a patient with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Which finding is expected?
A. Warm, moist skin
B. Diminished or absent pedal pulses
C. Brown discoloration on ankles
D. Pitting edema
Answer: B
EXPLANATION: PAD causes poor blood flow, leading to diminished or absent pulses.
3. Which lab value most directly indicates myocardial injury?
A. CK-MB
B. Myoglobin
C. Troponin I
D. BNP
Answer: C
EXPLANATION: Troponin I is a specific and sensitive marker of cardiac muscle injury.
4. A patient with stable angina takes nitroglycerin for chest pain. Which instruction is correct?
A. Take with food
B. Take one tablet every 5 minutes up to three doses
C. Take only if pain lasts more than 15 minutes
D. Chew the tablet
Answer: B
EXPLANATION: Standard treatment for angina includes up to 3 doses every 5 minutes if pain persists.
, 5. Which are signs of acute arterial occlusion? (Select all that apply)
A. Bounding pulses
B. Pulselessness
C. Paresthesia
D. Pallor
E. Paralysis
Answer: B, C, D, E
EXPLANATION: The "6 P’s" include pulselessness, paresthesia, pallor, paralysis, pain, and poikilothermia.
6. A patient who had a stent placed 2 days ago begins reporting chest pain. What is the priority
nursing action?
A. Notify the provider immediately
B. Reassure the patient
C. Administer acetaminophen
D. Check glucose
Answer: A
EXPLANATION: Chest pain after stent placement could indicate restenosis or thrombus; notify the
provider.
7. Which symptom is most typical of intermittent claudication?
A. Constant leg pain
B. Numbness in arms
C. Leg pain with walking that stops at rest
D. Sudden leg swelling
Answer: C
EXPLANATION: Intermittent claudication presents with exercise-induced pain relieved by rest.
8. The nurse is teaching about risk factors for coronary artery disease. Which statement indicates
understanding?
A. "I’ll exercise if I have time."
B. "I’ll stop smoking."
C. "Stress isn’t a big deal."
D. "I’ll eat fried foods in moderation."
Answer: B
EXPLANATION: Smoking is a modifiable major risk factor for CAD.
9. What is the purpose of aspirin therapy in patients with atherosclerosis?
A. Lower blood pressure
B. Prevent blood clots
C. Reduce cholesterol
D. Improve circulation
Answer: B
EXPLANATION: Aspirin inhibits platelet aggregation to prevent thrombus formation.
NURSING
Actual Questions and Answers
Expert-Verified Explanation
This Exam contains:
✪ Multiple-choice and True/False Format
✪ Expert-Verified Explanations
✪ Verified with Trusted Textbooks
1. A patient presents with chest pain radiating to the left arm and jaw. What should the nurse do
first?
A. Administer nitroglycerin
B. Call the provider
C. Administer oxygen and obtain vital signs
D. Get an ECG
Answer: C
EXPLANATION: Administering oxygen and assessing vital signs help to stabilize the patient and provide
baseline data before further interventions.
2. A nurse is assessing a patient with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Which finding is expected?
A. Warm, moist skin
B. Diminished or absent pedal pulses
C. Brown discoloration on ankles
D. Pitting edema
Answer: B
EXPLANATION: PAD causes poor blood flow, leading to diminished or absent pulses.
3. Which lab value most directly indicates myocardial injury?
A. CK-MB
B. Myoglobin
C. Troponin I
D. BNP
Answer: C
EXPLANATION: Troponin I is a specific and sensitive marker of cardiac muscle injury.
4. A patient with stable angina takes nitroglycerin for chest pain. Which instruction is correct?
A. Take with food
B. Take one tablet every 5 minutes up to three doses
C. Take only if pain lasts more than 15 minutes
D. Chew the tablet
Answer: B
EXPLANATION: Standard treatment for angina includes up to 3 doses every 5 minutes if pain persists.
, 5. Which are signs of acute arterial occlusion? (Select all that apply)
A. Bounding pulses
B. Pulselessness
C. Paresthesia
D. Pallor
E. Paralysis
Answer: B, C, D, E
EXPLANATION: The "6 P’s" include pulselessness, paresthesia, pallor, paralysis, pain, and poikilothermia.
6. A patient who had a stent placed 2 days ago begins reporting chest pain. What is the priority
nursing action?
A. Notify the provider immediately
B. Reassure the patient
C. Administer acetaminophen
D. Check glucose
Answer: A
EXPLANATION: Chest pain after stent placement could indicate restenosis or thrombus; notify the
provider.
7. Which symptom is most typical of intermittent claudication?
A. Constant leg pain
B. Numbness in arms
C. Leg pain with walking that stops at rest
D. Sudden leg swelling
Answer: C
EXPLANATION: Intermittent claudication presents with exercise-induced pain relieved by rest.
8. The nurse is teaching about risk factors for coronary artery disease. Which statement indicates
understanding?
A. "I’ll exercise if I have time."
B. "I’ll stop smoking."
C. "Stress isn’t a big deal."
D. "I’ll eat fried foods in moderation."
Answer: B
EXPLANATION: Smoking is a modifiable major risk factor for CAD.
9. What is the purpose of aspirin therapy in patients with atherosclerosis?
A. Lower blood pressure
B. Prevent blood clots
C. Reduce cholesterol
D. Improve circulation
Answer: B
EXPLANATION: Aspirin inhibits platelet aggregation to prevent thrombus formation.
