Cardiovascular and Hematological Care 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 Cardiovascular and Hematological Care flashcards as text
A patient reports tearing chest pain that radiates to the back and has unequal blood pressures in both arms. Which condition does the nurse suspect?
Answer: Aortic dissection
Aortic dissection classically presents with sudden tearing or ripping chest pain radiating to the back and a blood pressure differential between extremities.
Which finding is a hallmark of cardiac tamponade?
Answer: Beck's triad: hypotension, muffled heart sounds, JVD
Beck's triad (hypotension, muffled heart sounds, and JVD) results from pericardial fluid compressing the heart and impeding ventricular filling.
A post-operative patient develops a sudden onset of dyspnea, pleuritic chest pain, and tachycardia 3 days after hip replacement surgery. Which condition is most likely?
Answer: Pulmonary embolism
Pulmonary embolism is a common post-operative complication, especially after orthopedic surgery, presenting with sudden dyspnea, pleuritic pain, and tachycardia.
A patient with iron-deficiency anemia is started on oral ferrous sulfate. Which teaching point is most important?
Answer: Expect black, tarry stools as a side effect
Iron supplementation commonly causes dark or black stools, which is expected and not a sign of GI bleeding, and patients must be educated about this.
A patient with neutropenia following chemotherapy develops a fever of 38.5°C (101.3°F). What is the nurse's priority action?
Answer: Obtain blood cultures and initiate prescribed antibiotics immediately
Febrile neutropenia is a medical emergency; cultures must be drawn and broad-spectrum antibiotics started within one hour to prevent septic shock.
The nurse notes a patient's rhythm strip shows no P waves, a sawtooth baseline at 300 bpm with a ventricular rate of 75 bpm. Which rhythm is this?
Answer: Atrial flutter with 4:1 block
Atrial flutter characteristically shows a sawtooth flutter wave pattern at ~300 bpm; a 4:1 conduction ratio results in a ventricular rate of ~75 bpm.
A patient with chronic kidney disease has a hemoglobin of 8.2 g/dL. The provider orders erythropoietin-stimulating agents (ESAs). The nurse understands this medication works by:
Answer: Stimulating bone marrow to produce red blood cells
ESAs mimic endogenous erythropoietin to stimulate the bone marrow to produce red blood cells, correcting anemia of chronic kidney disease.