Acute Care Nurse Practitioner MCQ Flashcards
7 cards from real Acute Care Nurse Practitioner practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Acute Care Nurse Practitioner MCQ flashcards as text
A patient in the ICU develops sudden onset hypotension, tachycardia, and distended neck veins after central line insertion. What is the most likely diagnosis?
Answer: Tension pneumothorax
Tension pneumothorax after central line insertion presents with hypotension, tachycardia, distended neck veins, and tracheal deviation away from the affected side.
Which ventilator setting should be prioritized when managing a patient with ARDS to reduce ventilator-induced lung injury?
Answer: Low tidal volume (6 mL/kg IBW) with permissive hypercapnia
Lung-protective ventilation using low tidal volumes of 6 mL/kg ideal body weight reduces ventilator-induced lung injury in ARDS.
A patient presents with confusion, hyponatremia (Na 118 mEq/L), and is found to have SIADH. What is the safest initial treatment?
Answer: Fluid restriction to 500-1000 mL/day
Fluid restriction is the first-line treatment for SIADH; sodium correction should not exceed 8-10 mEq/L per 24 hours to prevent osmotic demyelination.
A 72-year-old post-operative patient develops fever, leukocytosis, and watery diarrhea 5 days after broad-spectrum antibiotics. What is the next best step?
Answer: Send stool for Clostridioides difficile toxin PCR
C. difficile infection is the most likely diagnosis following antibiotic use, and stool PCR for C. difficile toxin is the appropriate diagnostic test.
Which finding best differentiates cardiogenic shock from distributive (septic) shock?
Answer: Elevated pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) with low cardiac output
Cardiogenic shock is characterized by elevated PCWP (≥18 mmHg) and low cardiac output, distinguishing it from septic shock which typically shows low SVR and high CO.
A patient receiving heparin infusion develops a platelet count drop from 280,000 to 85,000 over 7 days. What is the priority action?
Answer: Discontinue heparin and start a direct thrombin inhibitor
Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) requires immediate discontinuation of all heparin products and initiation of a non-heparin anticoagulant such as argatroban.
A patient with chronic liver disease presents with asterixis, confusion, and elevated ammonia. Which dietary intervention is most appropriate?
Answer: Adequate protein intake (1.2-1.5 g/kg/day) with branched-chain amino acids
Current guidelines recommend adequate protein intake of 1.2-1.5 g/kg/day in hepatic encephalopathy, as severe protein restriction worsens sarcopenia without improving outcomes.