1|Page
PAEA EOC 2025, PAEA Summative Practice,
physician assistant exam, EOC questions and
answers, PAEA 150 questions, PA exam prep,
graded A+
what is the most common cause of heart failure?
specifically left sided? right sided? - .....ANSWER
...✔✔ -MC is CAD (coronary artery disease)
-L sided: *CAD* & HTN
-R sided: *L sided HF* & pulmonary dz
decreased ejection fraction, thin ventricular walls,
dilated LV chamber, and an S3 gallop (filling of dilated
ventricle) is associated with systolic or diastolic heart
failure? - .....ANSWER ...✔✔ systolic (MC form of
CHF)
*(the sound is actually heard in the diastole though)
-memory trick: "sys-to-lic" 3 consonants = S3
,2|Page
normal ejection fraction, thick ventricular walls,
narrowed LV chamber, and an S4 gallop (atrial
contraction into a stiff ventricle) is associated with
systolic or diastolic heart failure? - .....ANSWER ...✔✔
diastolic
-memory trick: "di-a-sto-lic" 4 consonants = S4
what are the causes of systolic vs diastolic heart failure?
- .....ANSWER ...✔✔ -systolic: post *MI*, *dilated
cardiomyopathy*, myocarditis
-diastolic: *HTN*, *LVH*, *elderly*, valvular heart dz,
hypertrophic or restrictive cardiomyopathy, constrictive
pericarditis
when the metabolic demands of the body exceed
normal cardiac function (d/t thyrotoxicosis, wet beriberi,
severe anemia, AV shunting, Paget's disease of the
bone) this is termed ________ heart failure -
.....ANSWER ...✔✔ high-output
*fairly uncommon
-low-output HF is just d/t problem w/ myocardial
contraction, ischemia, or chronic HTN
,3|Page
what are some causes of acute vs chronic heart failure? -
.....ANSWER ...✔✔ -acute: *largely systolic*;
hypertensive crisis, acute MI, papillary muscle rupture
-chronic: dilated cardiomyopathy (systolic), valvular dz
(diastolic)
explain class I-IV New York Heart Association functional
classes - .....ANSWER ...✔✔ -class I: *no sx's*, *no
limitation* during ordinary physical activity
-class II: *mild sx's* (dyspnea or angina), *slight
limitation* during ordinary activity
-class III: *comfortable only at rest* (sx's caused maked
limitation in activity even with minimal exertion
-class IV: *sx's even while at rest*, severe limitations,
inability to carry out physical activity
what compensations does the body make when heart
failure (can be due to something that causes either inc
pre/afterload or dec contractility) begins? -
.....ANSWER ...✔✔ 1. sympathetic nervous system
activation
2. myocyte hypertrophy/remodeling
3. RAAS activation: fluid overload
the following are signs/sx's of what sided heart failure?
, 4|Page
inc pulmonary venous pressure, dyspnea, orthopnea,
rales/rhonchi, chronic non-productive cough with pink
frothy sputum, HTN, Cheyne-Stokes breathing, S3 or S4,
pale skin/cool extremities, sinus tachy, fatigue -
.....ANSWER ...✔✔ L-sided HF
the following are signs/sx's of what sided heart failure?
inc systemic venous pressure, peripheral edema, JVD,
anorexia, N/V, hepatosplenomegaly, RUQ tenderness,
hepatojugular reflex (inc JVP with liver palpation) -
.....ANSWER ...✔✔ R-sided HF
-CXR showing Kerley B lines (alternate flow tracts),
cardiomegaly, pleural effusion, pulmonary edema
-echo with dec EF
-inc BNP on labs
are all signs of? - .....ANSWER ...✔✔ heart failure
*BNP released from atrium with preload too high
(volume overload)
what drugs have shown to decrease mortality rates in
pts with heart failure? - .....ANSWER ...✔✔ *ACE
PAEA EOC 2025, PAEA Summative Practice,
physician assistant exam, EOC questions and
answers, PAEA 150 questions, PA exam prep,
graded A+
what is the most common cause of heart failure?
specifically left sided? right sided? - .....ANSWER
...✔✔ -MC is CAD (coronary artery disease)
-L sided: *CAD* & HTN
-R sided: *L sided HF* & pulmonary dz
decreased ejection fraction, thin ventricular walls,
dilated LV chamber, and an S3 gallop (filling of dilated
ventricle) is associated with systolic or diastolic heart
failure? - .....ANSWER ...✔✔ systolic (MC form of
CHF)
*(the sound is actually heard in the diastole though)
-memory trick: "sys-to-lic" 3 consonants = S3
,2|Page
normal ejection fraction, thick ventricular walls,
narrowed LV chamber, and an S4 gallop (atrial
contraction into a stiff ventricle) is associated with
systolic or diastolic heart failure? - .....ANSWER ...✔✔
diastolic
-memory trick: "di-a-sto-lic" 4 consonants = S4
what are the causes of systolic vs diastolic heart failure?
- .....ANSWER ...✔✔ -systolic: post *MI*, *dilated
cardiomyopathy*, myocarditis
-diastolic: *HTN*, *LVH*, *elderly*, valvular heart dz,
hypertrophic or restrictive cardiomyopathy, constrictive
pericarditis
when the metabolic demands of the body exceed
normal cardiac function (d/t thyrotoxicosis, wet beriberi,
severe anemia, AV shunting, Paget's disease of the
bone) this is termed ________ heart failure -
.....ANSWER ...✔✔ high-output
*fairly uncommon
-low-output HF is just d/t problem w/ myocardial
contraction, ischemia, or chronic HTN
,3|Page
what are some causes of acute vs chronic heart failure? -
.....ANSWER ...✔✔ -acute: *largely systolic*;
hypertensive crisis, acute MI, papillary muscle rupture
-chronic: dilated cardiomyopathy (systolic), valvular dz
(diastolic)
explain class I-IV New York Heart Association functional
classes - .....ANSWER ...✔✔ -class I: *no sx's*, *no
limitation* during ordinary physical activity
-class II: *mild sx's* (dyspnea or angina), *slight
limitation* during ordinary activity
-class III: *comfortable only at rest* (sx's caused maked
limitation in activity even with minimal exertion
-class IV: *sx's even while at rest*, severe limitations,
inability to carry out physical activity
what compensations does the body make when heart
failure (can be due to something that causes either inc
pre/afterload or dec contractility) begins? -
.....ANSWER ...✔✔ 1. sympathetic nervous system
activation
2. myocyte hypertrophy/remodeling
3. RAAS activation: fluid overload
the following are signs/sx's of what sided heart failure?
, 4|Page
inc pulmonary venous pressure, dyspnea, orthopnea,
rales/rhonchi, chronic non-productive cough with pink
frothy sputum, HTN, Cheyne-Stokes breathing, S3 or S4,
pale skin/cool extremities, sinus tachy, fatigue -
.....ANSWER ...✔✔ L-sided HF
the following are signs/sx's of what sided heart failure?
inc systemic venous pressure, peripheral edema, JVD,
anorexia, N/V, hepatosplenomegaly, RUQ tenderness,
hepatojugular reflex (inc JVP with liver palpation) -
.....ANSWER ...✔✔ R-sided HF
-CXR showing Kerley B lines (alternate flow tracts),
cardiomegaly, pleural effusion, pulmonary edema
-echo with dec EF
-inc BNP on labs
are all signs of? - .....ANSWER ...✔✔ heart failure
*BNP released from atrium with preload too high
(volume overload)
what drugs have shown to decrease mortality rates in
pts with heart failure? - .....ANSWER ...✔✔ *ACE
