Cardiac Nursing Flashcards
7 cards from real MSNCB practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Cardiac Nursing flashcards as text
A patient with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) receives an appropriate shock. After the event, the priority nursing intervention is to:
Answer: Assess the patient's hemodynamic status and level of consciousness
Following an ICD shock, the nurse must first assess the patient's hemodynamic status and consciousness to determine if the device successfully terminated the dysrhythmia.
A patient with mitral stenosis is most likely to develop which complication due to left atrial enlargement?
Answer: Atrial fibrillation due to atrial wall distension
Left atrial enlargement from mitral stenosis stretches atrial muscle fibers, disrupting electrical conduction and predisposing the patient to atrial fibrillation.
When teaching a patient about warfarin therapy after mechanical heart valve replacement, the nurse emphasizes which dietary instruction?
Answer: Maintain consistent vitamin K intake to stabilize INR
Consistent intake of vitamin K-rich foods is recommended because sudden changes in vitamin K consumption cause unpredictable INR fluctuations.
A patient's telemetry shows P waves that are upright in lead II, a PR interval of 0.24 seconds, and a QRS of 0.08 seconds. This rhythm is best described as:
Answer: First-degree atrioventricular block
A PR interval greater than 0.20 seconds with consistent 1:1 AV conduction and normal QRS indicates first-degree AV block.
A patient is admitted with decompensated heart failure and started on a dobutamine infusion. The nurse understands this medication primarily acts to:
Answer: Increase myocardial contractility via beta-1 receptor stimulation
Dobutamine is a beta-1 adrenergic agonist that increases myocardial contractility and cardiac output in patients with severely reduced ejection fraction.
A nurse is caring for a patient after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Which finding in the first 24 hours requires the most immediate attention?
Answer: Mediastinal drainage suddenly decreasing to 5 mL/hr
Sudden decrease in mediastinal drainage after CABG may indicate tube occlusion and impending cardiac tamponade, requiring immediate assessment.
Which hemodynamic profile is most consistent with cardiogenic shock?
Answer: High PCWP, low CO, high SVR
Cardiogenic shock presents with elevated PCWP (pulmonary congestion), low cardiac output (pump failure), and elevated SVR (compensatory vasoconstriction).