Cardiac Vascular Nursing Exam Technology & Digital Applications 5

Question 1

A cardiac nurse uses a clinical decision support (CDS) tool integrated in the EHR that flags a patient's estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of 28 mL/min before administering contrast for a cardiac CT. What is the priority nursing response?

Accepted Answer

Notify the ordering provider and hold contrast pending nephrology or physician review

Answer

An eGFR of 28 mL/min represents significant renal impairment and a high risk for contrast-induced nephropathy; the provider must be notified and contrast held pending review.

Question 2

Which wireless technology standard is most commonly used for real-time transmission of implantable cardiac monitor (ICM) data to the clinic's digital platform?

Accepted Answer

Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and cellular network transmission

Answer

Modern implantable cardiac monitors use Bluetooth Low Energy to communicate with a bedside transmitter or smartphone, which then uploads data to the clinic via cellular or Wi-Fi networks.

Question 3

A vascular nurse uses a digital ankle-brachial index (ABI) device to assess a patient with suspected peripheral artery disease. An ABI result of 0.55 is obtained. How should the nurse interpret this finding?

Accepted Answer

Severe arterial disease — report to provider for urgent vascular evaluation

Answer

An ABI below 0.60 indicates severe peripheral arterial disease with significantly reduced limb perfusion, requiring prompt vascular surgical evaluation.

Question 4

A nurse caring for a patient on a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) checks the controller's digital display and notes the 'Low Flow' alarm is active. What is the first clinical assessment priority?

Accepted Answer

Assess the patient for hypovolemia, arrhythmia, suction events, or driveline malfunction

Answer

A Low Flow alarm on an LVAD controller indicates reduced device output and requires systematic patient assessment for correctable causes before any device adjustments.

Question 5

When using a point-of-care activated clotting time (ACT) analyzer during cardiac catheterization, at what ACT value is adequate anticoagulation with unfractionated heparin typically confirmed for PCI?

Accepted Answer

ACT 300–350 seconds

Answer

For PCI with unfractionated heparin alone, a target ACT of 300–350 seconds provides adequate anticoagulation to prevent catheter-related thrombosis while balancing bleeding risk.

Cardiac Vascular Nursing Exam Practice Test

Cardiac Vascular Nursing Exam Practice Test

Cardiac Vascular Nursing Exam Technology & Digital Applications 5