ALS/ACLS - Red Cross Final Exam
Questions & Answers
1.A patient with dyspnea and a change in mental status arrives at the emer-
gency department. The healthcare team completes the necessary assess-
ments and begins to care for the patient, including initiating cardiac moni-
toring, pulse oximetry, supplemental oxygen and vascular access. The team
reviews the patient's ECG rhythm strip, as shown in the following figure.
Which agent would the team most likely administer?
Answer Atropine 1 mg every 3 to 5 minutes
2.A patient with bradycardia and signs of hemodynamic compromise
does not respond to atropine. Which interventions could the healthcare
provider use next?
Answer Epinephrine or dopamine infusion
Transcutaneous pacing
3.The resuscitation team suspects that hyperkalemia is the cause of
cardiac arrest in a patient brought to the emergency department. Which
finding on a 12-lead ECG would confirm this suspicion?
Answer Wide-complex ventricular rhythm and tall, peaked T waves
4.A patient's ECG reveals a tachyarrhythmia. The patient is
hemodynamically stable and has a heart rate ranging from 120 to 135 beats
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16
,per minute. Based on the findings of the secondary assessment, which
statement(s) by the patient would the team interpret as a possible
contributing cause?
Answer 1. "I've had a terrible cold with a horrible cough and today I
developed a fever."
2."I've been so anxious lately because I just lost my job."
3."I've been vomiting for the past 2 days from a gastrointestinal bug."
5.A patient's ECG reveals a narrow QRS complex with a regular rhythm,
indicating a narrow-complex supraventricular tachyarrhythmia. The patient
is not showing signs of hemodynamic compromise. Which intervention
would be initiated first if it does not delay other interventions?
Answer Vagal maneuvers
6.A patient in the telemetry unit is stable. Cardiac monitoring indicates the
patient has ventricular tachycardia with a pulse. Further assessment
reveals that the corrected QT interval is greater than 0.46 seconds. Which
treatment would be appropriate at this time?
Answer Synchronized cardioversion
7.An ECG strip of a patient in the emergency department reveals the
following rhythm. Which feature would the healthcare provider interpret as
indicating atrial fibrillation?
Answer Absence of discrete P waves and presence of irregularly irreg-
ular QRS complexes
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, 8.A patient is brought into the emergency department. The patient does
not have a pulse. The cardiac monitor shows the following rhythm. The
team interprets this as which condition?
Answer Ventricular tachycardia
9.A patient with acute renal failure experiences cardiac arrest. Just before
the cardiac arrest, the patient's ECG showed peaked T waves. What might
be causing the patient's cardiac arrest?
Answer Hyperkalemia
10.A member of the resuscitation team is preparing to defibrillate a patient
in cardiac arrest using a biphasic defibrillator. The team member would set
the energy dose according to the manufacturer's recommendations, which
is usually
Answer
120 to 200 joules
11. A member of the resuscitation team is preparing to administer
medications intravenously to a patient in cardiac arrest. The team member
follows each medication administration with a bolus of fluid. How much
would the team member give?
Answer 10 to 20 mL
3/
16
Questions & Answers
1.A patient with dyspnea and a change in mental status arrives at the emer-
gency department. The healthcare team completes the necessary assess-
ments and begins to care for the patient, including initiating cardiac moni-
toring, pulse oximetry, supplemental oxygen and vascular access. The team
reviews the patient's ECG rhythm strip, as shown in the following figure.
Which agent would the team most likely administer?
Answer Atropine 1 mg every 3 to 5 minutes
2.A patient with bradycardia and signs of hemodynamic compromise
does not respond to atropine. Which interventions could the healthcare
provider use next?
Answer Epinephrine or dopamine infusion
Transcutaneous pacing
3.The resuscitation team suspects that hyperkalemia is the cause of
cardiac arrest in a patient brought to the emergency department. Which
finding on a 12-lead ECG would confirm this suspicion?
Answer Wide-complex ventricular rhythm and tall, peaked T waves
4.A patient's ECG reveals a tachyarrhythmia. The patient is
hemodynamically stable and has a heart rate ranging from 120 to 135 beats
1/
16
,per minute. Based on the findings of the secondary assessment, which
statement(s) by the patient would the team interpret as a possible
contributing cause?
Answer 1. "I've had a terrible cold with a horrible cough and today I
developed a fever."
2."I've been so anxious lately because I just lost my job."
3."I've been vomiting for the past 2 days from a gastrointestinal bug."
5.A patient's ECG reveals a narrow QRS complex with a regular rhythm,
indicating a narrow-complex supraventricular tachyarrhythmia. The patient
is not showing signs of hemodynamic compromise. Which intervention
would be initiated first if it does not delay other interventions?
Answer Vagal maneuvers
6.A patient in the telemetry unit is stable. Cardiac monitoring indicates the
patient has ventricular tachycardia with a pulse. Further assessment
reveals that the corrected QT interval is greater than 0.46 seconds. Which
treatment would be appropriate at this time?
Answer Synchronized cardioversion
7.An ECG strip of a patient in the emergency department reveals the
following rhythm. Which feature would the healthcare provider interpret as
indicating atrial fibrillation?
Answer Absence of discrete P waves and presence of irregularly irreg-
ular QRS complexes
2/
16
, 8.A patient is brought into the emergency department. The patient does
not have a pulse. The cardiac monitor shows the following rhythm. The
team interprets this as which condition?
Answer Ventricular tachycardia
9.A patient with acute renal failure experiences cardiac arrest. Just before
the cardiac arrest, the patient's ECG showed peaked T waves. What might
be causing the patient's cardiac arrest?
Answer Hyperkalemia
10.A member of the resuscitation team is preparing to defibrillate a patient
in cardiac arrest using a biphasic defibrillator. The team member would set
the energy dose according to the manufacturer's recommendations, which
is usually
Answer
120 to 200 joules
11. A member of the resuscitation team is preparing to administer
medications intravenously to a patient in cardiac arrest. The team member
follows each medication administration with a bolus of fluid. How much
would the team member give?
Answer 10 to 20 mL
3/
16
