NLE Pharmacology and Medication Management 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A patient taking warfarin requires monitoring with which laboratory value?
- Activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT)
- Prothrombin time/INR (Correct answer)
- Complete blood count (CBC)
- Platelet count
Correct answer: Prothrombin time/INR
Warfarin's anticoagulant effect is monitored using prothrombin time expressed as the International Normalized Ratio (INR).
Question 2: Which medication is a short-acting beta-2 adrenergic agonist used as a rescue inhaler for asthma?
- Propranolol
- Metoprolol
- Albuterol (Correct answer)
- Atenolol
Correct answer: Albuterol
Albuterol is a short-acting beta-2 agonist that causes rapid bronchodilation and is used for acute asthma relief.
Question 3: Which adverse effects should a nurse most closely monitor in a patient receiving an ACE inhibitor?
- Bradycardia and hypoglycemia
- Dry cough and hyperkalemia (Correct answer)
- Tachycardia and hypokalemia
- Constipation and hyponatremia
Correct answer: Dry cough and hyperkalemia
ACE inhibitors commonly cause a persistent dry cough (due to bradykinin accumulation) and hyperkalemia (due to reduced aldosterone activity).
Question 4: Which drug is the first-line treatment for acute anaphylaxis?
- Diphenhydramine
- Methylprednisolone
- Epinephrine (Correct answer)
- Loratadine
Correct answer: Epinephrine
Epinephrine is the first-line treatment for anaphylaxis, rapidly reversing bronchospasm, vasodilation, and other life-threatening effects.
Question 5: Digoxin toxicity is most likely to develop when serum digoxin levels exceed:
- 0.5 ng/mL
- 1.0 ng/mL
- 2.0 ng/mL (Correct answer)
- 5.0 ng/mL
Correct answer: 2.0 ng/mL
Digoxin toxicity typically occurs at serum levels above 2.0 ng/mL, though hypokalemia can cause toxicity at lower levels.
Question 6: Which of the following is NOT a common side effect of opioid analgesics?
- Constipation
- Diarrhea (Correct answer)
- Respiratory depression
- Nausea
Correct answer: Diarrhea
Opioids cause constipation by slowing GI motility, not diarrhea; diarrhea is the opposite of the expected opioid GI effect.
Question 7: A patient on long-term corticosteroid therapy is at greatest risk for which complication?
- Hypoglycemia and weight loss
- Hyperglycemia and immunosuppression (Correct answer)
- Bradycardia and hypotension
- Hypokalemia and alkalosis only
Correct answer: Hyperglycemia and immunosuppression
Long-term corticosteroids cause hyperglycemia by increasing gluconeogenesis and immunosuppression by impairing immune cell function.
NLE Pharmacology and Medication Management 2
A patient taking warfarin requires monitoring with which laboratory value?