Certified Emergency Nurse MCQ Flashcards
7 cards from real CEN practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Certified Emergency Nurse MCQ flashcards as text
A patient presents with sudden onset severe headache described as 'the worst headache of my life.' What is the priority diagnosis to rule out?
Answer: Subarachnoid hemorrhage
A thunderclap headache (worst of life) is subarachnoid hemorrhage until proven otherwise, requiring immediate CT head without contrast.
Which intervention is contraindicated in a patient with suspected increased intracranial pressure (ICP)?
Answer: Vigorous suctioning for more than 15 seconds
Prolonged suctioning causes hypoxia and Valsalva responses that spike ICP; suction attempts should be brief and limited.
A patient with known COPD presents in respiratory distress. ABG shows pH 7.28, PaCO2 72, PaO2 55. What is the correct interpretation?
Answer: Respiratory acidosis with hypoxemia
Low pH with elevated PaCO2 indicates respiratory acidosis (CO2 retention), and PaO2 < 60 mmHg indicates hypoxemia.
A 68-year-old is found unresponsive with a glucose of 22 mg/dL. After administering 50 mL of D50W IV, there is no improvement. What should the nurse consider next?
Answer: Assess for concurrent causes such as alcohol use or adrenal insufficiency
Failure to respond to dextrose suggests the hypoglycemia is refractory, possibly due to alcohol-induced hypoglycemia or adrenal insufficiency requiring additional treatment.
Which of the following is the correct sequence for synchronized cardioversion in a hemodynamically unstable patient with atrial flutter?
Answer: 50–100 J biphasic → increase if needed
Synchronized cardioversion for atrial flutter begins at 50–100 J biphasic and is increased stepwise if the initial attempt fails.
A patient is brought in after a near-drowning in cold water. Despite 25 minutes of CPR with no ROSC, what principle should guide management?
Answer: Continue resuscitation until the patient is warm — 'not dead until warm and dead'
Hypothermia is protective to the brain; drowning victims in cold water may survive neurologically intact with prolonged resuscitation after rewarming.
A trauma patient has absent breath sounds on the left, tracheal deviation to the right, and hypotension. What is the immediate intervention?
Answer: Perform needle decompression at the second intercostal space, midclavicular line on the left
Absent breath sounds with tracheal deviation and hemodynamic instability indicate tension pneumothorax requiring immediate needle decompression on the affected side.