ALS/ACLS - RED CROSS FINAL EXAM
Questions and Answers
1. 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?: Wide-complex
ventricular rhythm or tall, pointed T waves
2. A patient with dyspnea and a change in mental status arrives at
the emer- gency department. The healthcare team completes the
necessary assessments and begins to care for the patient, including
initiating cardiac monitoring, 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?: Atropine 0.5 mg every 4 to 5 minutes
3. A patient experiencing an unstable bradyarrhythmia does not
respond to atropine or transcutaneous pacing. Which intervention
would the healthcare provider use next?: Administration of an epinephrine
infusion
4. A patient's ECG reveals a tachyarrhythmia. The patient is
hemodynamically stable and has a heart rate ranging from 120 to
135 beats per minute. Based on the findings of the secondary
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, assessment, which statement(s) by the patient would the team
interpret as a possible contributing cause?: 1. "I've had a terrible cold
with a horrible cough and fever the past week."
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, indicat- ing a narrow-complex supraventricular
tachyarrhythmia. The patient is hemo- dynamically stable. Which
intervention would be initiated first?: 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?: 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?: Absence of discrete P waves and presence of
irregularly irregular QRS complexes
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?:
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14
Questions and Answers
1. 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?: Wide-complex
ventricular rhythm or tall, pointed T waves
2. A patient with dyspnea and a change in mental status arrives at
the emer- gency department. The healthcare team completes the
necessary assessments and begins to care for the patient, including
initiating cardiac monitoring, 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?: Atropine 0.5 mg every 4 to 5 minutes
3. A patient experiencing an unstable bradyarrhythmia does not
respond to atropine or transcutaneous pacing. Which intervention
would the healthcare provider use next?: Administration of an epinephrine
infusion
4. A patient's ECG reveals a tachyarrhythmia. The patient is
hemodynamically stable and has a heart rate ranging from 120 to
135 beats per minute. Based on the findings of the secondary
1/
14
, assessment, which statement(s) by the patient would the team
interpret as a possible contributing cause?: 1. "I've had a terrible cold
with a horrible cough and fever the past week."
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, indicat- ing a narrow-complex supraventricular
tachyarrhythmia. The patient is hemo- dynamically stable. Which
intervention would be initiated first?: 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?: 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?: Absence of discrete P waves and presence of
irregularly irregular QRS complexes
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?:
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14
