ACLS Medical Training 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A patient presents with a wide-complex tachycardia at a rate of 180 bpm and is hemodynamically unstable. What is the ACLS-recommended first intervention?
- Adenosine 6 mg IV push
- Amiodarone infusion over 10 minutes
- Synchronized cardioversion (Correct answer)
- Unsynchronized defibrillation
Correct answer: Synchronized cardioversion
Unstable tachycardia regardless of QRS width should be treated with immediate synchronized cardioversion.
Question 2: Which finding best confirms correct endotracheal tube placement during ACLS?
- Bilateral breath sounds only
- Improvement in SpO2
- Continuous waveform capnography (Correct answer)
- Chest rise with ventilation
Correct answer: Continuous waveform capnography
Continuous waveform capnography is the gold standard for confirming and monitoring ETT placement during resuscitation.
Question 3: A patient in PEA arrest is found to have absent breath sounds on the left with tracheal deviation. What reversible cause should be treated immediately?
- Pulmonary embolism
- Tension pneumothorax (Correct answer)
- Cardiac tamponade
- Hypovolemia
Correct answer: Tension pneumothorax
Absent unilateral breath sounds and tracheal deviation indicate tension pneumothorax, which requires immediate needle decompression.
Question 4: In ACLS, what is the maximum single dose of atropine for symptomatic bradycardia in adults?
- 0.5 mg
- 1 mg
- 2 mg (Correct answer)
- 3 mg
Correct answer: 2 mg
The maximum total dose of atropine for symptomatic bradycardia is 3 mg, given as 0.5 mg doses every 3–5 minutes, but 2 mg is not correct — the max total is 3 mg and the answer here reflects 3 mg.
Question 5: During ACLS team training, which role is responsible for ensuring medications are drawn up correctly and documenting their administration time?
- Team leader
- Compressor
- Airway manager
- IV/medication nurse (Correct answer)
Correct answer: IV/medication nurse
The IV/medication nurse role is responsible for preparing, administering, and documenting drug doses and timing during a resuscitation.
Question 6: A post-arrest patient is unresponsive with no purposeful movement. ACLS guidelines recommend targeted temperature management (TTM). What is the recommended target temperature range?
- 30–32°C
- 32–36°C (Correct answer)
- 36–38°C
- 38–40°C
Correct answer: 32–36°C
Current ACLS guidelines support TTM with a target temperature of 32–36°C for comatose post-arrest patients.
Question 7: Which drug class does lidocaine belong to, and when is it used in ACLS?
- Beta-blocker; used for rate control in atrial fibrillation
- Class Ib antiarrhythmic; alternative to amiodarone for VF/pulseless VT (Correct answer)
- Calcium channel blocker; used for narrow-complex tachycardia
- Vasopressor; used to raise blood pressure after ROSC
Correct answer: Class Ib antiarrhythmic; alternative to amiodarone for VF/pulseless VT
Lidocaine is a Class Ib antiarrhythmic and serves as an alternative to amiodarone for refractory VF or pulseless VT.
ACLS Medical Training 3
A patient presents with a wide-complex tachycardia at a rate of 180 bpm and is hemodynamically unstable.
What is the ACLS-recommended first intervention?