ACLS Exam Version A
Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support
Exam Version A (50 questions)
Please do not mark on this exam. Record the best answer on the separate answer
sheet.
1. You find an unresponsive patient who is not breathing. After
activating the emergency response system, you determine that
there is no pulse. What is your next action?
A. Open the airway with a head tilt–chin lift.
B. Administer epinephrine at a dose of 1 mg/kg.
C. Deliver 2 rescue breaths each over 1 second.
D. Start chest compressions at a rate of at least 100/min.
2. You are evaluating a 58-year-old man with chest pain. The blood
pressure is 92/50 mm Hg, the heart rate is 92/min, the nonlabored
respiratory rate is 14 breaths/min, and the pulse oximetry reading is
97%. What assessment step ismost important now?
A. PETCO2
B. Chest x-ray
C. Laboratory testing
D. Obtaining a 12-lead ECG
3. What is the preferred method of access for epinephrine administration
duringcardiac arrest in most patients?
A. Intraosseous
B. Endotracheal
C. Central intravenous
D. Peripheral intravenous
4. An activated AED does not promptly analyze the rhythm. What is your next
action?
A. Begin chest compressions.
B. Discontinue the resuscitation attempt.
C. Check all AED connections and reanalyze.
D. Rotate AED electrodes to an alternate position.
10
, ACLS Exam Version A
5. You have completed 2 minutes of CPR. The ECG monitor displays the lead II
rhythm below, and the patient has no pulse. Another member of your team
resumes chest compressions, and an IV is in place. What management step is your
next priority?
A. Give 0.5 mg of atropine.
B. Insert an advanced airway.
C. Administer 1 mg of epinephrine.
D. Administer a dopamine infusion.
6. During a pause in CPR, you see this lead II ECG rhythm on the
monitor. Thepatient has no pulse. What is the next action?
A. Establish vascular access.
B. Obtain the patient’s history.
C. Resume chest compressions.
D. Terminate the resuscitative effort.
7. What is a common but sometimes fatal mistake in cardiac arrest management?
A. Failure to obtain vascular access
B. Prolonged periods of no ventilations
C. Failure to perform endotracheal intubation
D. Prolonged interruptions in chest compressions
8. Which action is a component of high-quality chest compressions?
A. Allowing complete chest recoil
B. Chest compressions without ventilation
C. 60 to 100 compressions per minute with a 15:2 ratio
D. Uninterrupted compressions at a depth of 1½ inches
, ACLS Exam Version A
9. Which action increases the chance of successful conversion of ventricular
fibrillation?
A. Pausing chest compressions immediately after a defibrillation attempt
B. Administering 4 quick ventilations immediately before a defibrillation attempt
C. Using manual defibrillator paddles with light pressure against the chest
D. Providing quality compressions immediately before a defibrillation attempt
10. Which situation BEST describes pulseless electrical activity?
A. Asystole without a pulse
B. Sinus rhythm without a pulse
C. Torsades de pointes with a pulse
D. Ventricular tachycardia with a pulse
11. What is the BEST strategy for performing high-quality CPR on a
patient withan advanced airway in place?
A. Provide compressions and ventilations with a 15:2 ratio.
B. Provide compressions and ventilations with a 30:2 ratio.
C. Provide a single ventilation every 6 seconds during the compression pause.
D. Provide continuous chest compressions without pauses and 10 ventilations per
minute.
12. Three minutes after witnessing a cardiac arrest, one member of your team
insertsan endotracheal tube while another performs continuous chest
compressions. During subsequent ventilation, you notice the presence of a
waveform on the capnography screen and a PETCO2 level of 8 mm Hg.
What is the significance of this finding?
A. Chest compressions may not be effective.
B. The endotracheal tube is no longer in the trachea.
C. The patient meets the criteria for termination of efforts.
D. The team is ventilating the patient too often (hyperventilation).
13. The use of quantitative capnography in intubated patients
A. allows for monitoring of CPR quality.
B. measures oxygen levels at the alveoli level.
C. determines inspired carbon dioxide relating to cardiac output.
D. detects electrolyte abnormalities early in code management.
Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support
Exam Version A (50 questions)
Please do not mark on this exam. Record the best answer on the separate answer
sheet.
1. You find an unresponsive patient who is not breathing. After
activating the emergency response system, you determine that
there is no pulse. What is your next action?
A. Open the airway with a head tilt–chin lift.
B. Administer epinephrine at a dose of 1 mg/kg.
C. Deliver 2 rescue breaths each over 1 second.
D. Start chest compressions at a rate of at least 100/min.
2. You are evaluating a 58-year-old man with chest pain. The blood
pressure is 92/50 mm Hg, the heart rate is 92/min, the nonlabored
respiratory rate is 14 breaths/min, and the pulse oximetry reading is
97%. What assessment step ismost important now?
A. PETCO2
B. Chest x-ray
C. Laboratory testing
D. Obtaining a 12-lead ECG
3. What is the preferred method of access for epinephrine administration
duringcardiac arrest in most patients?
A. Intraosseous
B. Endotracheal
C. Central intravenous
D. Peripheral intravenous
4. An activated AED does not promptly analyze the rhythm. What is your next
action?
A. Begin chest compressions.
B. Discontinue the resuscitation attempt.
C. Check all AED connections and reanalyze.
D. Rotate AED electrodes to an alternate position.
10
, ACLS Exam Version A
5. You have completed 2 minutes of CPR. The ECG monitor displays the lead II
rhythm below, and the patient has no pulse. Another member of your team
resumes chest compressions, and an IV is in place. What management step is your
next priority?
A. Give 0.5 mg of atropine.
B. Insert an advanced airway.
C. Administer 1 mg of epinephrine.
D. Administer a dopamine infusion.
6. During a pause in CPR, you see this lead II ECG rhythm on the
monitor. Thepatient has no pulse. What is the next action?
A. Establish vascular access.
B. Obtain the patient’s history.
C. Resume chest compressions.
D. Terminate the resuscitative effort.
7. What is a common but sometimes fatal mistake in cardiac arrest management?
A. Failure to obtain vascular access
B. Prolonged periods of no ventilations
C. Failure to perform endotracheal intubation
D. Prolonged interruptions in chest compressions
8. Which action is a component of high-quality chest compressions?
A. Allowing complete chest recoil
B. Chest compressions without ventilation
C. 60 to 100 compressions per minute with a 15:2 ratio
D. Uninterrupted compressions at a depth of 1½ inches
, ACLS Exam Version A
9. Which action increases the chance of successful conversion of ventricular
fibrillation?
A. Pausing chest compressions immediately after a defibrillation attempt
B. Administering 4 quick ventilations immediately before a defibrillation attempt
C. Using manual defibrillator paddles with light pressure against the chest
D. Providing quality compressions immediately before a defibrillation attempt
10. Which situation BEST describes pulseless electrical activity?
A. Asystole without a pulse
B. Sinus rhythm without a pulse
C. Torsades de pointes with a pulse
D. Ventricular tachycardia with a pulse
11. What is the BEST strategy for performing high-quality CPR on a
patient withan advanced airway in place?
A. Provide compressions and ventilations with a 15:2 ratio.
B. Provide compressions and ventilations with a 30:2 ratio.
C. Provide a single ventilation every 6 seconds during the compression pause.
D. Provide continuous chest compressions without pauses and 10 ventilations per
minute.
12. Three minutes after witnessing a cardiac arrest, one member of your team
insertsan endotracheal tube while another performs continuous chest
compressions. During subsequent ventilation, you notice the presence of a
waveform on the capnography screen and a PETCO2 level of 8 mm Hg.
What is the significance of this finding?
A. Chest compressions may not be effective.
B. The endotracheal tube is no longer in the trachea.
C. The patient meets the criteria for termination of efforts.
D. The team is ventilating the patient too often (hyperventilation).
13. The use of quantitative capnography in intubated patients
A. allows for monitoring of CPR quality.
B. measures oxygen levels at the alveoli level.
C. determines inspired carbon dioxide relating to cardiac output.
D. detects electrolyte abnormalities early in code management.
