CARDIAC SURGERY TEST
BANK
1. While assessing an older adult patient, the nurse notes jugular venous
distention (JVD) with the head of the patient's bed elevated 45 degrees.
What does this finding indicate?
a. Decreased fluid volume
b. Jugular vein atherosclerosis
c. Increased right atrial pressure
d. Incompetent jugular vein valves: C
2. The nurse is caring for a patient who is receiving IV furosemide (Lasix)
and morphine for the treatment of acute decompensated heart failure
(ADHF) with severe orthopnea. Which clinical
finding is the best indicator that the treatment has been effective?
a. Weight loss of 2 lb in 24 hours
b. Hourly urine output greater than 60 mL
c. Reduced dyspnea with the head of bed at 30 degrees
d. Patient denies experiencing chest pain or chest pressure: C
3. Which topic will the nurse plan to include in discharge teaching for a
patient who has heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF)?
a. Need to begin an aerobic exercise program several times weekly
b. Benefits and effects of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors
c. Use of salt substitutes to replace table salt when cooking and at the table
d. Importance of making an annual appointment with the health care
provider-
:B
4. IV sodium nitroprusside is ordered for a patient with acute pulmonary
edema. Which reassessment finding during the first hours of
administration indicates that the nurse should
decrease the rate of nitroprusside infusion?
a. Ventricular ectopy
b. Dry, hacking cough
c. Systolic BP below 90 mm Hg
d. Heart rate below 50 beats/min: C
, CARDIAC SURGERY TEST
BANK
5. A patient who has chronic heart failure tells the nurse, "I was fine
when I went to bed, but I woke up in the middle of the night feeling like I
was suffocating!" How should the nurse document this finding?
a. Orthopnea
b. Pulsus alternans
c. Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea
d. Acute bilateral pleural effusion: C
6. Which statement by a patient with newly diagnosed heart failure
indicates to the nurse that teaching was effective?
, CARDIAC SURGERY TEST
BANK
a. "I will take furosemide (Lasix) every day just before bedtime."
b. "I will use the nitroglycerin patch whenever I have chest pain."
c. "I will use an additional pillow if I am short of breath at night."
d. "I will call the clinic if my weight goes up 3 pounds in a week.": D
7. When teaching a patient with heart failure on a 2000-mg sodium diet,
which foods should the nurse recommend limiting?
a. Chicken and eggs
b. Canned and frozen fruits
c. Yogurt and milk products
d. Fresh or frozen vegetables: C
8. The nurse plans discharge teaching for a patient with chronic heart
failure who has prescriptions for digoxin (Lanoxin) and hydrochlorothiazide.
Which instruction should the nurse include?
a. Limit dietary sources of potassium.
b. Take the hydrochlorothiazide at bedtime.
c. Notify the health care provider if nausea develops.
d. Take the digoxin if the pulse is below 60 beats/min.: C
9. While admitting an 82-yr-old patient with acute decompensated heart
failure to the hospital,
the nurse learns that the patient lives alone and sometimes confuses the
"water pill" with the
"heart pill." What should the nurse include in the discharge plan?
a. Consult with a psychologist.
b. Transfer to a long-term care facility.
c. Referral to a home health care agency.
d. Arrangements for around-the-clock care.: C
10. Following an acute myocardial infarction, a previously healthy 63-yr-
old develops heart failure. What medication topic should the nurse
anticipate including in discharge teaching?
a. -Adrenergic blockers
b. Calcium channel blockers
c. Digitalis and potassium therapy regimen
d. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors: D
11. A 53-yr-old patient with stage D heart failure and type 2 diabetes asks
the nurse whether heart transplant is an option. Which response is
accurate?
a. "Your heart failure has not reached the end stage yet."
b. "You could not manage the multiple complications of that surgery."
c. "The suitability of a heart transplant for you depends on many factors."
, CARDIAC SURGERY TEST
BANK
d. "Because you have diabetes, you would not be a heart transplant
candi- date.": D
12. Which diagnostic test will be most useful to the nurse in determining
whether a patient admitted with acute shortness of breath has heart failure?
a. Serum troponin
b. Arterial blood gases
c. B-type natriuretic peptide
d. 12-lead electrocardiogram: C
13. Which action should the nurse include in the plan of care for a
patient admitted with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) who is
receiving nesiritide (Natrecor)?
a. Monitor blood pressure frequently.
b. Encourage patient to ambulate in room.
c. Teach patient to drink at least 3 liters of fluid daily.
d. Titrate nesiritide dose down slowly before stopping.: A
14. A patient with chronic heart failure has a new order for captopril 12.5 mg
PO. After giving the first dose and teaching the patient about the drug,
which statement by the patient indicates that
teaching has been effective?
a. "I plan to take the medication with food."
b. "I should eat more potassium-rich foods."
c. "I will call for help when I need to get up to use the bathroom."
d. "I can expect to feel more short of breath for the next few days.": C
15. A patient who has just been admitted with pulmonary edema is
scheduled to receive the following medications. Which medication should
the nurse question before giving?
a. captopril (Capoten) 25 mg
b. furosemide (Lasix) 60 mg
c. digoxin (Lanoxin) 0.125 mg
d. carvedilol (Coreg) 3.125 mg: D
16. A patient who has chronic heart failure is admitted to the
emergency department with severe dyspnea and a dry, hacking cough.
Which action should the nurse take first?
a. Auscultate the abdomen.
b. Check the capillary refill.
c. Auscultate the breath sounds.
d. Ask about the patient's allergies.: C
17. A patient with chronic heart failure who is taking a diuretic and an an-
giotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor and who is on a low-sodium
BANK
1. While assessing an older adult patient, the nurse notes jugular venous
distention (JVD) with the head of the patient's bed elevated 45 degrees.
What does this finding indicate?
a. Decreased fluid volume
b. Jugular vein atherosclerosis
c. Increased right atrial pressure
d. Incompetent jugular vein valves: C
2. The nurse is caring for a patient who is receiving IV furosemide (Lasix)
and morphine for the treatment of acute decompensated heart failure
(ADHF) with severe orthopnea. Which clinical
finding is the best indicator that the treatment has been effective?
a. Weight loss of 2 lb in 24 hours
b. Hourly urine output greater than 60 mL
c. Reduced dyspnea with the head of bed at 30 degrees
d. Patient denies experiencing chest pain or chest pressure: C
3. Which topic will the nurse plan to include in discharge teaching for a
patient who has heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF)?
a. Need to begin an aerobic exercise program several times weekly
b. Benefits and effects of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors
c. Use of salt substitutes to replace table salt when cooking and at the table
d. Importance of making an annual appointment with the health care
provider-
:B
4. IV sodium nitroprusside is ordered for a patient with acute pulmonary
edema. Which reassessment finding during the first hours of
administration indicates that the nurse should
decrease the rate of nitroprusside infusion?
a. Ventricular ectopy
b. Dry, hacking cough
c. Systolic BP below 90 mm Hg
d. Heart rate below 50 beats/min: C
, CARDIAC SURGERY TEST
BANK
5. A patient who has chronic heart failure tells the nurse, "I was fine
when I went to bed, but I woke up in the middle of the night feeling like I
was suffocating!" How should the nurse document this finding?
a. Orthopnea
b. Pulsus alternans
c. Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea
d. Acute bilateral pleural effusion: C
6. Which statement by a patient with newly diagnosed heart failure
indicates to the nurse that teaching was effective?
, CARDIAC SURGERY TEST
BANK
a. "I will take furosemide (Lasix) every day just before bedtime."
b. "I will use the nitroglycerin patch whenever I have chest pain."
c. "I will use an additional pillow if I am short of breath at night."
d. "I will call the clinic if my weight goes up 3 pounds in a week.": D
7. When teaching a patient with heart failure on a 2000-mg sodium diet,
which foods should the nurse recommend limiting?
a. Chicken and eggs
b. Canned and frozen fruits
c. Yogurt and milk products
d. Fresh or frozen vegetables: C
8. The nurse plans discharge teaching for a patient with chronic heart
failure who has prescriptions for digoxin (Lanoxin) and hydrochlorothiazide.
Which instruction should the nurse include?
a. Limit dietary sources of potassium.
b. Take the hydrochlorothiazide at bedtime.
c. Notify the health care provider if nausea develops.
d. Take the digoxin if the pulse is below 60 beats/min.: C
9. While admitting an 82-yr-old patient with acute decompensated heart
failure to the hospital,
the nurse learns that the patient lives alone and sometimes confuses the
"water pill" with the
"heart pill." What should the nurse include in the discharge plan?
a. Consult with a psychologist.
b. Transfer to a long-term care facility.
c. Referral to a home health care agency.
d. Arrangements for around-the-clock care.: C
10. Following an acute myocardial infarction, a previously healthy 63-yr-
old develops heart failure. What medication topic should the nurse
anticipate including in discharge teaching?
a. -Adrenergic blockers
b. Calcium channel blockers
c. Digitalis and potassium therapy regimen
d. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors: D
11. A 53-yr-old patient with stage D heart failure and type 2 diabetes asks
the nurse whether heart transplant is an option. Which response is
accurate?
a. "Your heart failure has not reached the end stage yet."
b. "You could not manage the multiple complications of that surgery."
c. "The suitability of a heart transplant for you depends on many factors."
, CARDIAC SURGERY TEST
BANK
d. "Because you have diabetes, you would not be a heart transplant
candi- date.": D
12. Which diagnostic test will be most useful to the nurse in determining
whether a patient admitted with acute shortness of breath has heart failure?
a. Serum troponin
b. Arterial blood gases
c. B-type natriuretic peptide
d. 12-lead electrocardiogram: C
13. Which action should the nurse include in the plan of care for a
patient admitted with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) who is
receiving nesiritide (Natrecor)?
a. Monitor blood pressure frequently.
b. Encourage patient to ambulate in room.
c. Teach patient to drink at least 3 liters of fluid daily.
d. Titrate nesiritide dose down slowly before stopping.: A
14. A patient with chronic heart failure has a new order for captopril 12.5 mg
PO. After giving the first dose and teaching the patient about the drug,
which statement by the patient indicates that
teaching has been effective?
a. "I plan to take the medication with food."
b. "I should eat more potassium-rich foods."
c. "I will call for help when I need to get up to use the bathroom."
d. "I can expect to feel more short of breath for the next few days.": C
15. A patient who has just been admitted with pulmonary edema is
scheduled to receive the following medications. Which medication should
the nurse question before giving?
a. captopril (Capoten) 25 mg
b. furosemide (Lasix) 60 mg
c. digoxin (Lanoxin) 0.125 mg
d. carvedilol (Coreg) 3.125 mg: D
16. A patient who has chronic heart failure is admitted to the
emergency department with severe dyspnea and a dry, hacking cough.
Which action should the nurse take first?
a. Auscultate the abdomen.
b. Check the capillary refill.
c. Auscultate the breath sounds.
d. Ask about the patient's allergies.: C
17. A patient with chronic heart failure who is taking a diuretic and an an-
giotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor and who is on a low-sodium
