Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Flashcards
7 cards from real Acute Care Nurse Practitioner practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Acute Care Nurse Practitioner flashcards as text
A patient on mechanical ventilation develops sudden hypoxia, decreased breath sounds on the left, and tracheal deviation to the right. The ACNP's immediate action should be:
Answer: Perform needle decompression at the second intercostal space, midclavicular line
Tension pneumothorax requires immediate needle decompression; delaying for imaging is life-threatening.
Which hemodynamic pattern is most consistent with cardiogenic shock?
Answer: High CVP, high PCWP, low CO, high SVR
Cardiogenic shock presents with elevated filling pressures, reduced cardiac output, and compensatory increased systemic vascular resistance.
A patient with chronic kidney disease stage 4 has a potassium of 6.8 mEq/L with peaked T-waves on ECG. The first intervention should be:
Answer: IV calcium gluconate
IV calcium gluconate stabilizes the cardiac membrane immediately, which is the priority when ECG changes are present.
When interpreting a bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) result showing >15% hemosiderin-laden macrophages, the ACNP should suspect:
Answer: Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage
Hemosiderin-laden macrophages in BAL indicate prior alveolar bleeding, consistent with diffuse alveolar hemorrhage.
A post-operative patient develops fever (38.8°C), tachycardia, and confusion on day 2. Blood cultures are pending. The ACNP should initiate empiric antibiotics targeting:
Answer: Broad-spectrum coverage including gram-negative organisms
Early post-operative sepsis requires broad-spectrum coverage until culture sensitivities narrow treatment.
The ACNP is managing a patient with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The lung-protective ventilation strategy includes:
Answer: Tidal volume 6 mL/kg ideal body weight, plateau pressure <30 cmH2O
ARDSNet protocol specifies low tidal volume (6 mL/kg IBW) with plateau pressure kept below 30 cmH2O to prevent ventilator-induced lung injury.
A 58-year-old patient presents with sudden-onset severe headache described as 'the worst headache of my life.' The ACNP's priority diagnostic step is:
Answer: Non-contrast CT of the head
Non-contrast CT of the head is the first-line imaging to rule out subarachnoid hemorrhage in thunderclap headache.