CPEN Toxicology and Poisoning Emergencies Flashcards
6 cards from real CPEN practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 CPEN Toxicology and Poisoning Emergencies flashcards as text
A child presents with opioid overdose. What is the correct initial nursing intervention?
Answer: Administer naloxone and support airway/breathing
Naloxone reverses opioid-induced respiratory depression, but airway support must be maintained concurrently as naloxone duration may be shorter than the opioid.
Which toxic ingestion is best treated with activated charcoal?
Answer: Aspirin overdose within 1 hour
Activated charcoal is most effective when given within 1 hour of aspirin ingestion, as it adsorbs salicylate and reduces systemic absorption.
A pediatric patient ingested a tricyclic antidepressant (TCA). Which ECG finding is most concerning?
Answer: QRS duration greater than 100 ms
QRS widening greater than 100 ms in TCA toxicity indicates sodium channel blockade and predicts risk of ventricular arrhythmias and seizures.
Which agent is used to treat TCA-induced wide-complex dysrhythmia and hypotension?
Answer: Sodium bicarbonate
Sodium bicarbonate alkalinizes the blood and provides sodium load to overcome TCA sodium channel blockade, reversing QRS widening and dysrhythmias.
A child presents after ingesting a calcium channel blocker. Which hemodynamic pattern is expected?
Answer: Bradycardia and hypotension
Calcium channel blocker overdose classically causes bradycardia and hypotension due to decreased cardiac conduction and peripheral vasodilation.
Which substance ingestion is a contraindication to inducing vomiting in a pediatric patient?
Answer: Hydrocarbons or caustic agents
Inducing vomiting after hydrocarbon or caustic ingestion is contraindicated because it increases the risk of aspiration pneumonitis and esophageal re-injury.