PRETEST FCCS REVIEW ACTUAL EXAM 2026
QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS GRADED A+
◉ Investigative tests should be based on the patient's history and
physical examination as well as on previous tests. Which of the
following is one of the most important indicators of critical illness?
A. Respiratory acidosis
B. Metabolic acidosis
C. Elevated creatinine
D. Hyponatremia. Answer: B
◉ A 22-year-old man is brought to the emergency room after falling
from a horse. He is awaiting transfer to another facility. He has a chest
contusion and a non-displaced femur fracture. He is in spinal motion
restriction with a cervical collar and long backboard. He has worsening
respiratory distress and hypoxemia requiring endotracheal intubation.
Which of the following modifications of the manual assisted ventilation
technique is appropriate?
A. Place an oral airway one size larger than usual.
B. Add additional downward pressure on the face mask once it is sealed.
,C. Use a jaw thrust technique in place of neck extension.
D. Increase the tidal volume with each manual assisted breath.. Answer:
C
◉ Which of the following anatomic features is most likely to contribute
to difficulty in maintaining a patent airway in a supine patient?
A. Edentulous mandible
B. Posteriorly displaced tongue
C. Deviated nasal septum
D. Anteriorly displaced thyroid cartilage. Answer: B
◉ An elderly patient is on the medical ward for respiratory distress.
Which of the following is correct regarding airway assessment?
A. Laryngeal displacement toward the chest during inspiration occurs
only with upper airway obstruction
B. Chest rise with inspiration indicates an adequate tidal volume
C. Unilateral absent breath sounds on auscultation is a tension
pneumothorax
D. Complete airway obstruction is likely when chest retraction and
movement is present, but there are no breath sounds. Answer: D
, ◉ An 82-year-old man who awoke with chest pain in the morning is
being evaluated in the emergency department. He is alert and oriented.
Shortly after being placed on a cardiac monitor in normal sinus rhythm
with ST segment elevations, he becomes unresponsive and develops
ventricular fibrillation. Which of the following initial interventions is
most appropriate for this patient?
A. Do not initiate treatment because, due to his age, he probably has a
do-not-resuscitate order on file.
B. Attempt to contact the family before treating to discuss the level of
intervention.
C. Start cardiopulmonary resuscitation while preparing to defibrillate.
D. Start bag-mask-valve ventilation while preparing to intubate..
Answer: C
◉ Which of the following is the purpose of cardiopulmonary
resuscitation?
A. To reverse symptomatic bradycardia in an ICU patient who is on
multiple vasoactive infusions
B. To reverse sudden cardiac death in a patient who is in the palliative
care unit
C. To prolong the life of a patient who has a do-not-resuscitate order on
file to allow time for family to arrive
QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS GRADED A+
◉ Investigative tests should be based on the patient's history and
physical examination as well as on previous tests. Which of the
following is one of the most important indicators of critical illness?
A. Respiratory acidosis
B. Metabolic acidosis
C. Elevated creatinine
D. Hyponatremia. Answer: B
◉ A 22-year-old man is brought to the emergency room after falling
from a horse. He is awaiting transfer to another facility. He has a chest
contusion and a non-displaced femur fracture. He is in spinal motion
restriction with a cervical collar and long backboard. He has worsening
respiratory distress and hypoxemia requiring endotracheal intubation.
Which of the following modifications of the manual assisted ventilation
technique is appropriate?
A. Place an oral airway one size larger than usual.
B. Add additional downward pressure on the face mask once it is sealed.
,C. Use a jaw thrust technique in place of neck extension.
D. Increase the tidal volume with each manual assisted breath.. Answer:
C
◉ Which of the following anatomic features is most likely to contribute
to difficulty in maintaining a patent airway in a supine patient?
A. Edentulous mandible
B. Posteriorly displaced tongue
C. Deviated nasal septum
D. Anteriorly displaced thyroid cartilage. Answer: B
◉ An elderly patient is on the medical ward for respiratory distress.
Which of the following is correct regarding airway assessment?
A. Laryngeal displacement toward the chest during inspiration occurs
only with upper airway obstruction
B. Chest rise with inspiration indicates an adequate tidal volume
C. Unilateral absent breath sounds on auscultation is a tension
pneumothorax
D. Complete airway obstruction is likely when chest retraction and
movement is present, but there are no breath sounds. Answer: D
, ◉ An 82-year-old man who awoke with chest pain in the morning is
being evaluated in the emergency department. He is alert and oriented.
Shortly after being placed on a cardiac monitor in normal sinus rhythm
with ST segment elevations, he becomes unresponsive and develops
ventricular fibrillation. Which of the following initial interventions is
most appropriate for this patient?
A. Do not initiate treatment because, due to his age, he probably has a
do-not-resuscitate order on file.
B. Attempt to contact the family before treating to discuss the level of
intervention.
C. Start cardiopulmonary resuscitation while preparing to defibrillate.
D. Start bag-mask-valve ventilation while preparing to intubate..
Answer: C
◉ Which of the following is the purpose of cardiopulmonary
resuscitation?
A. To reverse symptomatic bradycardia in an ICU patient who is on
multiple vasoactive infusions
B. To reverse sudden cardiac death in a patient who is in the palliative
care unit
C. To prolong the life of a patient who has a do-not-resuscitate order on
file to allow time for family to arrive
