CNA Vital Signs and Measurements 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The CNA notices a resident's pulse is 52 beats per minute. This is called:
- Tachycardia
- Bradycardia (Correct answer)
- Arrhythmia
- Hypertension
Correct answer: Bradycardia
Bradycardia is a pulse rate below 60 beats per minute in an adult.
Question 2: Which blood pressure cuff size error causes a falsely HIGH reading?
- Cuff too large for the arm
- Cuff too small for the arm (Correct answer)
- Cuff placed over clothing
- Cuff deflated too slowly
Correct answer: Cuff too small for the arm
A cuff that is too small compresses the artery inadequately, requiring more pressure and producing a falsely elevated reading.
Question 3: When measuring blood pressure, the arm should be positioned:
- Above heart level
- At heart level (Correct answer)
- Below heart level
- Position does not matter
Correct answer: At heart level
The arm must be at heart level for an accurate blood pressure reading; a lowered arm produces falsely high readings.
Question 4: A resident's temperature is 104°F. The CNA should:
- Document only and recheck in 4 hours
- Give acetaminophen from the medication cart
- Report immediately to the nurse (Correct answer)
- Apply ice packs without notifying the nurse
Correct answer: Report immediately to the nurse
A temperature of 104°F is a significant fever requiring immediate reporting to the nurse for clinical evaluation.
Question 5: Cheyne-Stokes respirations are characterized by:
- Rapid, shallow, unlabored breathing
- Deep, noisy respirations with audible wheezing
- Cycles of increasing depth, then apnea (Correct answer)
- Slow, irregular breaths with long pauses
Correct answer: Cycles of increasing depth, then apnea
Cheyne-Stokes breathing is a cyclic pattern of gradually increasing depth followed by a period of apnea, often seen in dying patients.
Question 6: A pulse oximeter reading may be inaccurate in which of the following situations?
- The resident is lying supine
- The resident has dark nail polish on the finger (Correct answer)
- The resident is breathing room air
- The resident's heart rate is 70 bpm
Correct answer: The resident has dark nail polish on the finger
Dark nail polish interferes with the light-based sensor in a pulse oximeter, producing inaccurate SpO2 readings.
Question 7: The CNA should count respirations for at least how many seconds for an irregular breathing pattern?
- 15 seconds
- 30 seconds
- 60 seconds (Correct answer)
- 90 seconds
Correct answer: 60 seconds
Irregular respirations must be counted for a full 60 seconds to capture the variation and obtain an accurate rate.
CNA Vital Signs and Measurements 3
The CNA notices a resident's pulse is 52 beats per minute.
This is called: