Question 1

A patient with left-sided heart failure will most likely present with which primary respiratory symptom?

Accepted Answer

Orthopnea and paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea due to pulmonary congestion from fluid backing up into the pulmonary circulation.

Question 2

What is the priority nursing intervention when a patient experiences chest pain with ST-segment elevation on the ECG?

Accepted Answer

Administer oxygen, obtain a 12-lead ECG, give sublingual nitroglycerin if BP allows, and notify the physician immediately for possible STEMI protocol activation.

Question 3

Which serum lab value is the MOST specific biomarker for myocardial infarction?

Accepted Answer

Troponin I or Troponin T, as these cardiac-specific proteins are released only when myocardial cell injury occurs and remain elevated for up to 14 days.

Question 4

A patient on digoxin reports nausea, yellow-green visual halos, and has a heart rate of 48 bpm. What is the nurse's priority action?

Accepted Answer

Hold the digoxin, notify the physician, and check the serum digoxin level and potassium level, as these are classic signs of digoxin toxicity.

Question 5

What ankle-brachial index (ABI) value is diagnostic of peripheral arterial disease (PAD)?

Accepted Answer

An ABI of 0.9 or less indicates PAD; values below 0.4 suggest severe, limb-threatening ischemia.

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