HEART FAILURE (MED-SURG) HEART FAILURE
CERTIFICATION (HF-C) PRACTICE EXAM QUESTIONS
AND CORRECT ANSWERS (VERIFIED ANSWERS)
PLUS RATIONALES 2026/2027 Q&A | INSTANT
DOWNLOAD PDF
What signs and symptoms would a patient with left HF present with?
Select all that apply.
a) Bilateral crackles
b) Tachycardia
c) Chest pain
d) Wheeze
e) Shortness of breath
ANSWER: A, B, E
The nursing instructor is teaching a pre-nursing pathophysiology class.
The instructor is discussing heart
failure. What assessment data, collected by the nurse, indicate an
increase in a patient's risk for heart failure?
a) Lasix 20 mg/day
b) Potassium level of 5.7 mEq/L
c) African-American man
d) Age of 65 years or older
ANSWER: D
Rationale: HF is the most common reason for hospitalization of people
older than 65 years of age and is the second
most common reason for visits to a physician's office. A potassium level of
5.7 mEq/L does not indicate an increased
risk for HF. The fact that the patient takes lasix 20 mg/day does not
,indicate an increased risk for HF. The fact that a
patient is an African-American man does not indicate an increased risk for
HF.
You are assessing a patient suspected of having a right-sided HF. What
assessment finding may indicate rightsided
HF?
a) Pulmonary edema
b) Distended neck veins
c) Dry cough
d) Orthopnea
ANSWER: B
Rationale: Right-sided heart failure may manifest by distended neck
veins, dependent edema, hepatomegaly, weight
gain, ascites, anorexia, nausea, nocturia, and weakness.
You are doing discharge teaching with a patient diagnosed with HF. What
would you teach this patient to do
to assess fluid balance?
a) Monitor B/P
b) Assess radial pulses
c) Monitor weight daily
d) Monitor bowel movements
ANSWER: C
Rationale: To monitor fluid balance at home, daily weights at the same
time every day can be a good indicator of fluid
balance. Assessing radial pulses and monitoring the blood pressure may be
done, but they do not provide information
about fluid balance.
You are caring for an 84-year-old male who has just returned from the
operating room after inguinal hernia
repair. You note the patient has fluid volume excess from the OR and is at
risk for left-sided HF. What signs
and symptoms indicate left-sided HF?
,a) Jugular vein distention
b) Right upper quadrant pain
c) Bibasilar fine crackles
d) Dependent edema
ANSWER: C
Bibasilar fine crackles are a sign of alveolar fluid, a sequel of left
ventricular fluid, or pressure overload.
Jugular vein distention, right upper quadrant pain (hepatomegaly), and
dependent edema are caused by right-sided
heart failure, usually a chronic condition.
A patient is placed on a low-sodium diet. Which statement by the patient
indicates that the nurse's nutritional
teaching plan has been effective?
a) "I will have a ham and a cheese sandwich with potato chips for lunch."
b) "I will have a baked potato with boiled chicken for dinner."
c) "I will have a tossed salad with sardines and oil and vinegar dressing for
lunch."
d) "I will have chicken bouillon soup with crackers and an apple for
lunch."
ANSWER: B
The student nurses are studying the possible complications of HF. What
would the nurse mean if he
documented on the chart that the patient is experiencing orthopnea?
a) Difficulty breathing without use of oxygen
b) Difficulty breathing while sitting upright
c) Difficulty breathing with movement
d) Difficulty breathing when lying flat
ANSWER: D
You are working as a triage nurse in the ED. A patient with HF has
presented to the ED. In reviewing the
patient's past medical history, what is the primary cause of the patient's
HF?
, a) Type I diabetes
b) Arteriosclerosis
c) Atherosclerosis
d) Pulmonary congestion
ANSWER: C
Rationale: Atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries is the primary cause of
HF.
The nursing instructor is teaching the beginning nursing class how to
assess for hepatojugular reflux. How
does the nursing instructor teach the student nurses to assess for
hepatojugular reflux?
a) Elevate the patient's head to 90 degrees
b) Press the right upper abdomen
c) Press the left upper abdomen
d) Lie the patient flat in bed
ANSWER: B
Rationale: Hepatojugular reflux, a sign of right-sided heart failure, is
assessed with the head of the bed at a 45-degree angle. As the right
upper abdomen (the area over the liver) is compressed for 30 to 40
seconds, the nurse observes the internal jugular vein. If the internal
jugular vein becomes distended, a patient has positive hepatojugular
reflux.
You are caring for a patient with HF. You know that the overall goals of
management for this patient are
what? (Mark all that apply).
a) Improve functional status
b) Increase cardiac contractility
c) Extend survival
d) Decrease pulmonary venous pressure
e) Relieve patient symptoms
ANSWER: A, C, E
Rationale: The overall goals of management of HF are to relieve patient
CERTIFICATION (HF-C) PRACTICE EXAM QUESTIONS
AND CORRECT ANSWERS (VERIFIED ANSWERS)
PLUS RATIONALES 2026/2027 Q&A | INSTANT
DOWNLOAD PDF
What signs and symptoms would a patient with left HF present with?
Select all that apply.
a) Bilateral crackles
b) Tachycardia
c) Chest pain
d) Wheeze
e) Shortness of breath
ANSWER: A, B, E
The nursing instructor is teaching a pre-nursing pathophysiology class.
The instructor is discussing heart
failure. What assessment data, collected by the nurse, indicate an
increase in a patient's risk for heart failure?
a) Lasix 20 mg/day
b) Potassium level of 5.7 mEq/L
c) African-American man
d) Age of 65 years or older
ANSWER: D
Rationale: HF is the most common reason for hospitalization of people
older than 65 years of age and is the second
most common reason for visits to a physician's office. A potassium level of
5.7 mEq/L does not indicate an increased
risk for HF. The fact that the patient takes lasix 20 mg/day does not
,indicate an increased risk for HF. The fact that a
patient is an African-American man does not indicate an increased risk for
HF.
You are assessing a patient suspected of having a right-sided HF. What
assessment finding may indicate rightsided
HF?
a) Pulmonary edema
b) Distended neck veins
c) Dry cough
d) Orthopnea
ANSWER: B
Rationale: Right-sided heart failure may manifest by distended neck
veins, dependent edema, hepatomegaly, weight
gain, ascites, anorexia, nausea, nocturia, and weakness.
You are doing discharge teaching with a patient diagnosed with HF. What
would you teach this patient to do
to assess fluid balance?
a) Monitor B/P
b) Assess radial pulses
c) Monitor weight daily
d) Monitor bowel movements
ANSWER: C
Rationale: To monitor fluid balance at home, daily weights at the same
time every day can be a good indicator of fluid
balance. Assessing radial pulses and monitoring the blood pressure may be
done, but they do not provide information
about fluid balance.
You are caring for an 84-year-old male who has just returned from the
operating room after inguinal hernia
repair. You note the patient has fluid volume excess from the OR and is at
risk for left-sided HF. What signs
and symptoms indicate left-sided HF?
,a) Jugular vein distention
b) Right upper quadrant pain
c) Bibasilar fine crackles
d) Dependent edema
ANSWER: C
Bibasilar fine crackles are a sign of alveolar fluid, a sequel of left
ventricular fluid, or pressure overload.
Jugular vein distention, right upper quadrant pain (hepatomegaly), and
dependent edema are caused by right-sided
heart failure, usually a chronic condition.
A patient is placed on a low-sodium diet. Which statement by the patient
indicates that the nurse's nutritional
teaching plan has been effective?
a) "I will have a ham and a cheese sandwich with potato chips for lunch."
b) "I will have a baked potato with boiled chicken for dinner."
c) "I will have a tossed salad with sardines and oil and vinegar dressing for
lunch."
d) "I will have chicken bouillon soup with crackers and an apple for
lunch."
ANSWER: B
The student nurses are studying the possible complications of HF. What
would the nurse mean if he
documented on the chart that the patient is experiencing orthopnea?
a) Difficulty breathing without use of oxygen
b) Difficulty breathing while sitting upright
c) Difficulty breathing with movement
d) Difficulty breathing when lying flat
ANSWER: D
You are working as a triage nurse in the ED. A patient with HF has
presented to the ED. In reviewing the
patient's past medical history, what is the primary cause of the patient's
HF?
, a) Type I diabetes
b) Arteriosclerosis
c) Atherosclerosis
d) Pulmonary congestion
ANSWER: C
Rationale: Atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries is the primary cause of
HF.
The nursing instructor is teaching the beginning nursing class how to
assess for hepatojugular reflux. How
does the nursing instructor teach the student nurses to assess for
hepatojugular reflux?
a) Elevate the patient's head to 90 degrees
b) Press the right upper abdomen
c) Press the left upper abdomen
d) Lie the patient flat in bed
ANSWER: B
Rationale: Hepatojugular reflux, a sign of right-sided heart failure, is
assessed with the head of the bed at a 45-degree angle. As the right
upper abdomen (the area over the liver) is compressed for 30 to 40
seconds, the nurse observes the internal jugular vein. If the internal
jugular vein becomes distended, a patient has positive hepatojugular
reflux.
You are caring for a patient with HF. You know that the overall goals of
management for this patient are
what? (Mark all that apply).
a) Improve functional status
b) Increase cardiac contractility
c) Extend survival
d) Decrease pulmonary venous pressure
e) Relieve patient symptoms
ANSWER: A, C, E
Rationale: The overall goals of management of HF are to relieve patient
