FREE CMSRN Medical-Surgical Nursing Questions and Answers Flashcards
6 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 6 FREE CMSRN Medical-Surgical Nursing Questions and Answers flashcards as text
A patient with chronic kidney disease has a potassium level of 6.2 mEq/L. Which ECG change should the nurse anticipate?
Answer: Peaked T waves
Hyperkalemia causes tall, peaked T waves due to altered cardiac cell repolarization.
Which intervention is the priority for a patient experiencing autonomic dysreflexia?
Answer: Elevate the head of the bed to 90 degrees
Raising the head of the bed uses orthostatic effects to immediately lower dangerously elevated blood pressure.
A nurse is caring for a patient 2 hours post-thyroidectomy. Which assessment finding requires immediate intervention?
Answer: Tingling and numbness around the mouth
Perioral tingling indicates hypocalcemia from inadvertent parathyroid removal, a serious post-thyroidectomy complication.
A patient with cirrhosis develops hepatorenal syndrome. Which finding is most characteristic of this condition?
Answer: Oliguria with low urine sodium
Hepatorenal syndrome presents with oliguria and very low urine sodium due to intense renal vasoconstriction.
Which assessment technique should the nurse use to evaluate for asterixis in a patient with hepatic encephalopathy?
Answer: Ask the patient to extend the arms with wrists dorsiflexed
Asterixis, or liver flap, is assessed by having the patient hold the arms outstretched with wrists hyperextended and observing for flapping tremor.
A patient with acute pancreatitis has a Ranson score of 6 on admission. What does this indicate to the nurse?
Answer: High mortality risk requiring ICU-level care
A Ranson score of 6 or higher indicates severe acute pancreatitis with a mortality rate exceeding 50%, requiring intensive monitoring.