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NUR 417
NUR 417 Final Exam Guide | Care of
Adult II | Questions & Answers| Grade A |
100% Correct | (NEW 2025/ 2026)
___________ is the amount of blood pumped by the left ventricle with each beat.
A. Cardiac output
B. Preload
C. Afterload
D. Stroke volume - ANS ✓The answer is D. Stroke volume is the amount of blood pumped
by the left ventricle with each beat.
Stroke volume plays an important part in cardiac output. Select all the factors below that
influence stroke volume:
A. Heart rate
B. Preload
C. Contractility
D. Afterload
E. Blood pressure - ANS ✓The answers are B, C, and D. Preload, afterload, and
contractility all have a role with influencing stroke volume.
Which treatments below would decrease cardiac preload? Select all that apply:
A. IV fluid bolus
B. Norepinephrine
C. Nitroglycerin
D. Furosemide - ANS ✓The answers are C and D. Nitroglycerin is a vasodilator that will
dilate vessels, which will decrease venous return to the heart and this will decrease
NUR 417
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NUR 417
preload. Furosemide is a diuretic which will remove extra fluid from the body via the
kidneys. This will decrease venous return to the heart and decrease preload. An IV fluid
bolus and Norepinephrine (a vasoconstrictor) will increase venous return to the heart
and increase preload.
A patient has a blood pressure of 220/140. The physician prescribes a vasodilator. This
medication will?
A. Decrease the patient's blood pressure and increase cardiac afterload
B. Decrease the patient's blood pressure and decrease cardiac afterload
C. Decrease the patient's blood pressure and increase cardiac preload
D. Increase the patient's blood pressure but decrease cardiac output. - ANS ✓The
answer is B. The patient has a high systemic vascular resistance...as evidence by the
patient's blood blood....there is vasoconstriction and this is resulting in the high blood
pressure. Therefore, right now, the cardiac afterload is high because the ventricle must
overcome this high pressure in order to pump blood out of the heart. If a vasodilator is
given, it will decrease the blood pressure (hence the systemic vascular resistance) and
this will decrease the cardiac afterload. The amount of the pressure the ventricle must
pump against will decrease (cardiac afterload decrease) because the blood pressure will
go down (hence the systemic vascular resistance).
What conditions below can result in an increased cardiac afterload? Select all that apply:
A. Vasoconstriction
B. Aortic stenosis
C. Vasodilation
D. Dehydration
E. Pulmonary Hypertension - ANS ✓The answers are A, B, and E. Vasoconstriction
increases systemic vascular resistance which will increase cardiac afterload. It will
increase the pressure the ventricle must pump against to open the semilunar valves to
get blood out of the heart. Aortic stenosis creates an outflow of blood obstruction for the
ventricle (specifically the left ventricle) and this will increase the pressure the ventricle
must pump against to get blood out through the aortic valve. Pulmonary hypertension
increases pulmonary vascular resistance which will increase the pressure the right
ventricle must overcome to open the pulmonic valve to get blood out of the heart....all of
this increase cardiac afterload.
NUR 417
NUR 417
NUR 417 Final Exam Guide | Care of
Adult II | Questions & Answers| Grade A |
100% Correct | (NEW 2025/ 2026)
___________ is the amount of blood pumped by the left ventricle with each beat.
A. Cardiac output
B. Preload
C. Afterload
D. Stroke volume - ANS ✓The answer is D. Stroke volume is the amount of blood pumped
by the left ventricle with each beat.
Stroke volume plays an important part in cardiac output. Select all the factors below that
influence stroke volume:
A. Heart rate
B. Preload
C. Contractility
D. Afterload
E. Blood pressure - ANS ✓The answers are B, C, and D. Preload, afterload, and
contractility all have a role with influencing stroke volume.
Which treatments below would decrease cardiac preload? Select all that apply:
A. IV fluid bolus
B. Norepinephrine
C. Nitroglycerin
D. Furosemide - ANS ✓The answers are C and D. Nitroglycerin is a vasodilator that will
dilate vessels, which will decrease venous return to the heart and this will decrease
NUR 417
, 2
NUR 417
preload. Furosemide is a diuretic which will remove extra fluid from the body via the
kidneys. This will decrease venous return to the heart and decrease preload. An IV fluid
bolus and Norepinephrine (a vasoconstrictor) will increase venous return to the heart
and increase preload.
A patient has a blood pressure of 220/140. The physician prescribes a vasodilator. This
medication will?
A. Decrease the patient's blood pressure and increase cardiac afterload
B. Decrease the patient's blood pressure and decrease cardiac afterload
C. Decrease the patient's blood pressure and increase cardiac preload
D. Increase the patient's blood pressure but decrease cardiac output. - ANS ✓The
answer is B. The patient has a high systemic vascular resistance...as evidence by the
patient's blood blood....there is vasoconstriction and this is resulting in the high blood
pressure. Therefore, right now, the cardiac afterload is high because the ventricle must
overcome this high pressure in order to pump blood out of the heart. If a vasodilator is
given, it will decrease the blood pressure (hence the systemic vascular resistance) and
this will decrease the cardiac afterload. The amount of the pressure the ventricle must
pump against will decrease (cardiac afterload decrease) because the blood pressure will
go down (hence the systemic vascular resistance).
What conditions below can result in an increased cardiac afterload? Select all that apply:
A. Vasoconstriction
B. Aortic stenosis
C. Vasodilation
D. Dehydration
E. Pulmonary Hypertension - ANS ✓The answers are A, B, and E. Vasoconstriction
increases systemic vascular resistance which will increase cardiac afterload. It will
increase the pressure the ventricle must pump against to open the semilunar valves to
get blood out of the heart. Aortic stenosis creates an outflow of blood obstruction for the
ventricle (specifically the left ventricle) and this will increase the pressure the ventricle
must pump against to get blood out through the aortic valve. Pulmonary hypertension
increases pulmonary vascular resistance which will increase the pressure the right
ventricle must overcome to open the pulmonic valve to get blood out of the heart....all of
this increase cardiac afterload.
NUR 417
