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Cardiac Vascular Flashcards

7 cards from real CMSRN practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

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  1. A patient with an acute MI reports sudden, severe midscapular tearing back pain. What complication should the nurse suspect first?

    Answer: Aortic dissection

    Tearing or ripping back pain radiating to the interscapular region is the hallmark presentation of aortic dissection, a life-threatening emergency.

  2. A nurse notes a patient's cardiac monitor shows a rhythm with no P waves, irregular RR intervals, and a rate of 110 bpm. What rhythm is this?

    Answer: Atrial fibrillation

    Atrial fibrillation is characterized by an absence of distinct P waves, an irregularly irregular ventricular rate, and chaotic atrial activity.

  3. Which instruction is most important when teaching a patient about warfarin therapy?

    Answer: Avoid consistent consumption of vitamin K-rich foods

    Consistent vitamin K intake is essential because vitamin K antagonizes warfarin; drastic changes in dietary vitamin K can cause INR fluctuations.

  4. A patient's arterial blood pressure waveform shows pulsus paradoxus of 18 mmHg. What condition does this suggest?

    Answer: Cardiac tamponade

    Pulsus paradoxus greater than 10 mmHg (exaggerated fall in systolic BP during inspiration) is a classic sign of cardiac tamponade.

  5. A nurse is caring for a patient with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) of the left leg. Which intervention is contraindicated?

    Answer: Massaging the affected calf to relieve discomfort

    Massaging a limb with DVT can dislodge the thrombus and cause a pulmonary embolism.

  6. Which hemodynamic parameter best reflects left ventricular preload?

    Answer: Pulmonary artery wedge pressure (PAWP)

    The pulmonary artery wedge pressure (PAWP) reflects left atrial pressure and left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, serving as the best clinical measure of LV preload.

  7. A patient develops cardiogenic shock after a large anterior MI. Which hemodynamic pattern is expected?

    Answer: Low CO, high SVR, high PAWP

    Cardiogenic shock produces low cardiac output due to pump failure, compensatory high SVR from vasoconstriction, and high PAWP from backward failure.

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