Cardiac Vascular Flashcards
7 cards from real CMSRN practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Cardiac Vascular flashcards as text
A patient with heart failure has a BNP level of 850 pg/mL. What does this elevated level indicate?
Answer: Ventricular wall stress from fluid overload
BNP (B-type natriuretic peptide) is released by ventricular myocytes in response to wall stress caused by volume and pressure overload.
A patient is receiving IV heparin for a pulmonary embolism. The aPTT result is 200 seconds. The therapeutic range is 60-100 seconds. What is the priority nursing action?
Answer: Hold the infusion and notify the provider
An aPTT of 200 seconds is supratherapeutic and places the patient at high risk for bleeding; the infusion should be held and the provider notified.
Which assessment finding in a patient with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) requires immediate reporting?
Answer: Sudden onset of rest pain and pallor of the affected limb
Sudden rest pain with pallor suggests acute arterial occlusion, a vascular emergency requiring immediate intervention to prevent limb loss.
A nurse is caring for a patient after a cardiac catheterization via the right femoral artery. Which finding requires immediate intervention?
Answer: Expanding hematoma at the access site
An expanding hematoma indicates active arterial bleeding at the puncture site and requires immediate manual pressure and provider notification.
A patient with chronic venous insufficiency asks the nurse what causes their leg ulcers. What is the best explanation?
Answer: Incompetent venous valves cause venous hypertension and tissue breakdown
Incompetent venous valves lead to venous hypertension, edema, and poor tissue oxygenation, resulting in ulcer formation typically near the medial malleolus.
Which ECG change is most consistent with hyperkalemia?
Answer: Tall, peaked T waves
Hyperkalemia classically produces tall, peaked (tented) T waves as the earliest ECG change, progressing to widened QRS and sine wave pattern.
A patient in atrial fibrillation with a rapid ventricular rate of 148 bpm is hemodynamically stable. Which medication class is typically used for rate control?
Answer: Beta-blockers or calcium channel blockers
Beta-blockers (e.g., metoprolol) and non-dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers (e.g., diltiazem) are first-line agents for rate control in hemodynamically stable atrial fibrillation.