ADVANCED CARDIOVASCULAR LIFE SUPPORT ACTUAL STUDY
GUIDE 2025/2026 QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS GRADED A+
✔✔Your patient is a 56-year-old woman with a history of type 2 diabetes who reports
feeling dizzy. She is pale and diaphoretic. Her blood pressure is 80/60 mm Hg. The
cardiac monitor documents the rhythm shown here. She is receiving oxygen at 4 L/min
by nasal cannula, and an IV has been established. What do you administer next? -
✔✔Atropine 0.5 mg IV
✔✔How often should you switch chest compressors to avoid fatigue? - ✔✔About every
2 minutes
✔✔You are the code team leader and arrive to find a patient with CPR in progress. On
the next rhythm check, you see the rhythm shown here. Team members tell you that the
patient was well but reported chest discomfort and then collapsed. She has no pulse or
respirations. Bag-mask ventilations are producing visible chest rise, and IO access has
been established. Which intervention would be your next action? - ✔✔Epinephrine 1 mg
✔✔What is the recommended depth of chest compressions for an adult victim? - ✔✔At
least 2 inches
✔✔A patient has been resuscitated from cardiac arrest. During post-ROSC treatment,
the patient becomes unresponsive, with the rhythm shown here. Which action is
indicated next? - ✔✔Give an immediate unsynchronized highenergy shock (defibrillation
dose)
✔✔Which action should you take immediately after providing an AED shock? -
✔✔Resume chest compressions
✔✔What is the maximum interval for pausing chest compressions? - ✔✔10 seconds
✔✔What action minimizes the risk of air entering the victim's stomach during bag-mask
ventilation? - ✔✔Ventilating until you see the chest rise
✔✔You are providing bag-mask ventilations to a patient in respiratory arrest. How often
should you provide ventilations? - ✔✔About every 5-6 seconds
✔✔After initiation of CPR and 1 shock for ventricular fibrillation, this rhythm is present
on the next rhythm check. A second shock is given, and chest compressions are
resumed immediately. An IV is in place, and no drugs have been given. Bag-mask
ventilations are producing visible chest rise. What is your next intervention? - ✔✔Give
epinephrine 1 mg IV/IO
, ✔✔Your patient is not responsive and is not breathing. You can palpate a carotid pulse.
Which action do you take next? - ✔✔Start rescue breathing
✔✔What is the recommended compression rate for high-quality CPR? - ✔✔100 to 120
compressions per minute
✔✔How does complete chest recoil contribute to effective CPR? - ✔✔Allows maximum
blood return to the heart
✔✔A patient becomes unresponsive. You are uncertain if a faint pulse is present. The
rhythm shown here is seen on the cardiac monitor. An IV is in place. Which action do
you take next? - ✔✔Start high-quality CPR
✔✔A 35-year-old woman presents with a chief complaint of palpitations. She has no
chest discomfort, shortness of breath, or light-headedness. Her blood pressure is
120/78 mm Hg. Which intervention is indicated first? - ✔✔Vagal maneuvers
✔✔A patient was in refractory ventricular fibrillation. A third shock has just been
administered. Your team looks to you for instructions. What is your next action? -
✔✔Resume high-quality chest compressions
✔✔Which action is likely to cause air to enter the victim's stomach (gastric inflation)
during bag-mask ventilation? - ✔✔Ventilating too quickly
✔✔A patient's 12-lead ECG is transmitted by the paramedics and shows a STEMI.
When the patient arrives in the emergency department, the rhythm shown here is seen
on the cardiac monitor. The patient has resolution of moderate (5/10) chest pain after 3
doses of sublingual nitroglycerin. Blood pressure is 104/70 mm Hg. Which intervention
is most important in reducing this patient's in-hospital and 30-day mortality rate? -
✔✔Re-perfusion therapy
✔✔A 45-year-old woman with a history of palpitations develops light-headedness and
palpitations. She has received adenosine 6 mg IV for the rhythm shown here, without
conversion of the rhythm. She is now extremely apprehensive. Her blood pressure is
128/70 mm Hg. What is the next appropriate intervention? - ✔✔Administer adenosine
12 mg IV
✔✔You arrive on the scene to find CPR in progress. Nursing staff report the patient was
recovering from a pulmonary embolism and suddenly collapsed. Two shocks have been
delivered, and an IV has been initiated. What do you administer now? - ✔✔Epinephrine
1 mg IV
GUIDE 2025/2026 QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS GRADED A+
✔✔Your patient is a 56-year-old woman with a history of type 2 diabetes who reports
feeling dizzy. She is pale and diaphoretic. Her blood pressure is 80/60 mm Hg. The
cardiac monitor documents the rhythm shown here. She is receiving oxygen at 4 L/min
by nasal cannula, and an IV has been established. What do you administer next? -
✔✔Atropine 0.5 mg IV
✔✔How often should you switch chest compressors to avoid fatigue? - ✔✔About every
2 minutes
✔✔You are the code team leader and arrive to find a patient with CPR in progress. On
the next rhythm check, you see the rhythm shown here. Team members tell you that the
patient was well but reported chest discomfort and then collapsed. She has no pulse or
respirations. Bag-mask ventilations are producing visible chest rise, and IO access has
been established. Which intervention would be your next action? - ✔✔Epinephrine 1 mg
✔✔What is the recommended depth of chest compressions for an adult victim? - ✔✔At
least 2 inches
✔✔A patient has been resuscitated from cardiac arrest. During post-ROSC treatment,
the patient becomes unresponsive, with the rhythm shown here. Which action is
indicated next? - ✔✔Give an immediate unsynchronized highenergy shock (defibrillation
dose)
✔✔Which action should you take immediately after providing an AED shock? -
✔✔Resume chest compressions
✔✔What is the maximum interval for pausing chest compressions? - ✔✔10 seconds
✔✔What action minimizes the risk of air entering the victim's stomach during bag-mask
ventilation? - ✔✔Ventilating until you see the chest rise
✔✔You are providing bag-mask ventilations to a patient in respiratory arrest. How often
should you provide ventilations? - ✔✔About every 5-6 seconds
✔✔After initiation of CPR and 1 shock for ventricular fibrillation, this rhythm is present
on the next rhythm check. A second shock is given, and chest compressions are
resumed immediately. An IV is in place, and no drugs have been given. Bag-mask
ventilations are producing visible chest rise. What is your next intervention? - ✔✔Give
epinephrine 1 mg IV/IO
, ✔✔Your patient is not responsive and is not breathing. You can palpate a carotid pulse.
Which action do you take next? - ✔✔Start rescue breathing
✔✔What is the recommended compression rate for high-quality CPR? - ✔✔100 to 120
compressions per minute
✔✔How does complete chest recoil contribute to effective CPR? - ✔✔Allows maximum
blood return to the heart
✔✔A patient becomes unresponsive. You are uncertain if a faint pulse is present. The
rhythm shown here is seen on the cardiac monitor. An IV is in place. Which action do
you take next? - ✔✔Start high-quality CPR
✔✔A 35-year-old woman presents with a chief complaint of palpitations. She has no
chest discomfort, shortness of breath, or light-headedness. Her blood pressure is
120/78 mm Hg. Which intervention is indicated first? - ✔✔Vagal maneuvers
✔✔A patient was in refractory ventricular fibrillation. A third shock has just been
administered. Your team looks to you for instructions. What is your next action? -
✔✔Resume high-quality chest compressions
✔✔Which action is likely to cause air to enter the victim's stomach (gastric inflation)
during bag-mask ventilation? - ✔✔Ventilating too quickly
✔✔A patient's 12-lead ECG is transmitted by the paramedics and shows a STEMI.
When the patient arrives in the emergency department, the rhythm shown here is seen
on the cardiac monitor. The patient has resolution of moderate (5/10) chest pain after 3
doses of sublingual nitroglycerin. Blood pressure is 104/70 mm Hg. Which intervention
is most important in reducing this patient's in-hospital and 30-day mortality rate? -
✔✔Re-perfusion therapy
✔✔A 45-year-old woman with a history of palpitations develops light-headedness and
palpitations. She has received adenosine 6 mg IV for the rhythm shown here, without
conversion of the rhythm. She is now extremely apprehensive. Her blood pressure is
128/70 mm Hg. What is the next appropriate intervention? - ✔✔Administer adenosine
12 mg IV
✔✔You arrive on the scene to find CPR in progress. Nursing staff report the patient was
recovering from a pulmonary embolism and suddenly collapsed. Two shocks have been
delivered, and an IV has been initiated. What do you administer now? - ✔✔Epinephrine
1 mg IV
