Cardiovascular Disorders NCLEX Practice Questions (220 Questions)

A client is scheduled for a cardiac catheterization using a radiopaque dye. Which of the following assessments is most critical before the procedure?

A client with no history of cardiovascular disease comes into the ambulatory clinic with flu-like symptoms. The client suddenly complains of chest pain. Which of the following questions would best help a nurse to discriminate pain caused by a non-cardiac problem?

A client with myocardial infarction has been transferred from a coronary care unit to a general medical unit with cardiac monitoring via telemetry. A nurse plans to allow for which of the following client activities?

A nurse notes 2+ bilateral edema in the lower extremities of a client with myocardial infarction who was admitted two (2) days ago. The nurse would plan to do which of the following next?

A client is wearing a continuous cardiac monitor, which begins to sound its alarm. A nurse sees no electrocardiogram complexes on the screen. The first action of the nurse is to:

A nurse is assessing the blood pressure of a client diagnosed with primary hypertension. The nurse ensures accurate measurement by avoiding which of the following?

IV heparin therapy is ordered for a client. While implementing this order, a nurse ensures that which of the following medications is available in the nursing unit?

A client is at risk for pulmonary embolism and is on anticoagulant therapy with warfarin (Coumadin). The client’s prothrombin time is 20 seconds, with a control of 11 seconds. The nurse assesses that this result is:

A client who has been receiving heparin therapy also is started on warfarin. The client asks a nurse why both medications are being administered. In formulating a response, the nurse incorporates the understanding that warfarin:

A 60-year-old male client comes into the emergency department with complaints of crushing chest pain that radiates to his shoulder and left arm. The admitting diagnosis is acute myocardial infarction. Immediate admission orders include oxygen by NC at 4L/minute, blood work, chest X-ray, an ECG, and two (2) mg of morphine given intravenously. The nurse should first:

When administered a thrombolytic drug to the client experiencing an MI, the nurse explains to him that the purpose of this drug is to:

When interpreting an ECG, the nurse would keep in mind which of the following about the P wave? Select all that apply.

A client has driven himself to the ER. He is 50 years old, has a history of hypertension, and informs the nurse that his father died of a heart attack at 60 years of age. The client is presently complaining of indigestion. The nurse connects him to an ECG monitor and begins administering oxygen at 2 L/minute per NC. The nurse’s next action would be to:

The nurse receives emergency laboratory results for a client with chest pain and immediately informs the physician. An increased myoglobin level suggests which of the following?

When teaching a client about propranolol hydrochloride, the nurse should base the information on the knowledge that propranolol hydrochloride:

The most important long-term goal for a client with hypertension would be to:

Hypertension is known as the silent killer. This phrase is associated with the fact that hypertension often goes undetected until symptoms of other system failures occur. This may occur in the form of:

During the previous few months, a 56-year-old woman felt brief twinges of chest pain while working in her garden and has had frequent episodes of indigestion. She comes to the hospital after experiencing severe anterior chest pain while raking leaves. Her evaluation confirms a diagnosis of stable angina pectoris. After stabilization and treatment, the client is discharged from the hospital. At her follow-up appointment, she is discouraged because she is experiencing pain with increasing frequency. She states that she is visiting an invalid friend twice a week and now cannot walk up the second flight of steps to the friend’s apartment without pain. Which of the following measures that the nurse could suggest would most likely help the client deal with this problem?

Which of the following symptoms should the nurse teach the client with unstable angina to report immediately to her physician?

The physician refers the client with unstable angina for a cardiac catheterization. The nurse explains to the client that this procedure is being used in this specific case to:

As an initial step in treating a client with angina, the physician prescribes nitroglycerin tablets, 0.3mg given sublingually. This drug’s principal effects are produced by:

The nurse teaches the client with angina about the common expected side effects of nitroglycerin, including:

Sublingual nitroglycerin tablets begin to work within 1 to 2 minutes. How should the nurse instruct the client to use the drug when chest pain occurs?

Which of the following arteries primarily feeds the anterior wall of the heart?

When do coronary arteries primarily receive blood flow?

Prolonged occlusion of the right coronary artery produces an infarction in which of the following areas of the heart?

A murmur is heard at the second left intercostal space along the left sternal border. Which valve is this?

Which of the following blood tests is most indicative of cardiac damage?

Which of the following diagnostic tools is most commonly used to determine the location of myocardial damage?

Which of the following types of pain is most characteristic of angina?

Which of the following parameters is the major determinant of diastolic blood pressure?

Which of the following factors can cause blood pressure to drop to normal levels?

Baroreceptors in the carotid artery walls and aorta respond to which of the following conditions?

Which of the following terms describes the force against which the ventricle must expel blood?

Which of the following terms is used to describe the amount of stretch on the myocardium at the end of diastole?

A 57-year-old client with a history of asthma is prescribed propranolol (Inderal) to control hypertension. Before administered propranolol, which of the following actions should the nurse take first?

One hour after administering IV furosemide (Lasix) to a client with heart failure, a short burst of ventricular tachycardia appears on the cardiac monitor. Which of the following electrolyte imbalances should the nurse suspect?

A client is receiving spironolactone to treat hypertension. Which of the following instructions should the nurse provide?

When assessing an ECG, the nurse knows that the P-R interval represents the time it takes for the:

Following a treadmill test and cardiac catheterization, the client is found to have coronary artery disease, which is inoperative. He is referred to the cardiac rehabilitation unit. During his first visit to the unit he says that he doesn’t understand why he needs to be there because there is nothing that can be done to make him better. The best nursing response is:

To evaluate a client’s condition following cardiac catheterization, the nurse will palpate the pulse:

A client’s physician orders nuclear cardiography and makes an appointment for a thallium scan. The purpose of injecting radioisotope into the bloodstream is to detect:

A client enters the ER complaining of severe chest pain. A myocardial infarction is suspected. A 12 lead ECG appears normal, but the doctor admits the client for further testing until cardiac enzyme studies are returned. All of the following will be included in the nursing care plan. Which activity has the highest priority?

A client is experiencing tachycardia. The nurse’s understanding of the physiological basis for this symptom is explained by which of the following statements?

A client enters the ER complaining of chest pressure and severe epigastric distress. His VS are 158/90, 94, 24, and 99*F. The doctor orders cardiac enzymes. If the client were diagnosed with an MI, the nurse would expect which cardiac enzyme to rise within the next 3 to 8 hours?

A 45-year-old male client with leg ulcers and arterial insufficiency is admitted to the hospital. The nurse understands that leg ulcers of this nature are usually caused by:

Which of the following instructions should be included in the discharge teaching for a patient discharged with a transdermal nitroglycerin patch?

In order to prevent the development of tolerance, the nurse instructs the patient to:

Direct-acting vasodilators have which of the following effects on the heart rate?

When teaching a patient why spironolactone (Aldactone) and furosemide (Lasix) are prescribed together, the nurse bases teaching on the knowledge that: