TNI Oxygenation Quiz Questions & Rationales
– Cardiac Output, Hypoxia, Heart Failure &
Smoking Risks, nursing exam study guide
The nurse is caring for a client who has undergone cardiac catheterization. The client says to the
nurse, "The doctor said my cardiac output was 5.5 L/min. What is normal cardiac output?"
Which of the following is the nurse's best response?
A) "It is best to ask your doctor."
B) "Did the test make you feel upset?"
C) "The normal cardiac output for an adult is 4 to 6 L/min."
D) "Are you able to explain why are you asking this question?"
CORRECT ANSWER IS C
The client asked a direct question that the nurse should be able to answer. Normal cardiac
output for an adult is 4 to 6 L/min. Questions regarding diagnosis and prognosis may be referred
to physicians. There is no harm in answering this question. When using therapeutic
communication, the nurse should never ask a client to justify his or her feelings by inquiring why
a question was asked. There is no evidence that this client is upset
A person who starts smoking in adolescence and continues to smoke into middle age:
Has an increased risk for cardiopulmonary disease and lung cancer
The risk of lung cancer is 10 times greater for a person who smokes than for a nonsmoker.
Cigarette smoking worsens peripheral vascular and coronary artery disease. Inhaled nicotine
causes vasoconstriction of peripheral and coronary blood vessels, increasing blood pressure and
decreasing blood flow to peripheral vessels.
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a toxic inhalant that decreases the oxygen-carrying capacity of blood
by:
Forming a strong bond with hemoglobin
CO is the most common toxic inhalant and decreases the oxygen-carrying capacity of blood. In
CO toxicity, hemoglobin strongly binds with carbon monoxide, creating a functional anemia.
Because of the strength of the bond, carbon monoxide does not easily dissociate from
hemoglobin, which makes hemoglobin unavailable for oxygen transport.
, Conditions such as shock and severe dehydration resulting from extracellular fluid loss cause:
Hypovolemia
Conditions such as shock and severe dehydration cause extracellular fluid loss and reduced
circulating blood volume (hypovolemia).
Fever increases the tissues' need for oxygen, and as a result:
Carbon dioxide production increases
Fever increases the tissues' need for oxygen, and as a result, carbon dioxide production
increases. When fever persists, the metabolic rate remains high and the body begins to break
down protein stores, which results in muscle wasting and decreased muscle mass.
Left-sided heart failure is characterized by:
Decreased functioning of the left ventricle
Left-sided heart failure is an abnormal condition characterized by decreased functioning of the
left ventricle. If left ventricular failure is significant, the amount of blood ejected from the left
ventricle drops greatly, which results in decreased cardiac output
Cyanosis, the blue discoloration of the skin and mucous membranes caused by the presence of
desaturated hemoglobin in capillaries, is:
A late sign of hypoxia
Cyanosis, blue discoloration of the skin and mucous membranes caused by the presence of
desaturated hemoglobin in capillaries, is a late sign of hypoxia. The presence or absence of
cyanosis is not a reliable measure of oxygen status.
A simple and cost-effective method for reducing the risks of stasis of pulmonary secretions and
decreased chest wall expansion is:
Frequent change of position
Changing the client's position frequently is a simple and cost-effective method for reducing the
risk of pneumonia associated with stasis of pulmonary secretions and decreased chest wall
expansion. Oxygen humidification, chest physiotherapy, and use of antiinfectives are all helpful,
but are not cost effective.
The nurse is concerned when a client's heart rate, which is normally 95 beats per minute, rises
to 220 beats per minute, because a rate this high will:
Reduce coronary artery perfusion
Coronary arteries fill and perfuse the myocardium (heart muscle) during diastole. When the
heart rate is elevated, more time is spent in systole and less in diastole; hence, the myocardium
– Cardiac Output, Hypoxia, Heart Failure &
Smoking Risks, nursing exam study guide
The nurse is caring for a client who has undergone cardiac catheterization. The client says to the
nurse, "The doctor said my cardiac output was 5.5 L/min. What is normal cardiac output?"
Which of the following is the nurse's best response?
A) "It is best to ask your doctor."
B) "Did the test make you feel upset?"
C) "The normal cardiac output for an adult is 4 to 6 L/min."
D) "Are you able to explain why are you asking this question?"
CORRECT ANSWER IS C
The client asked a direct question that the nurse should be able to answer. Normal cardiac
output for an adult is 4 to 6 L/min. Questions regarding diagnosis and prognosis may be referred
to physicians. There is no harm in answering this question. When using therapeutic
communication, the nurse should never ask a client to justify his or her feelings by inquiring why
a question was asked. There is no evidence that this client is upset
A person who starts smoking in adolescence and continues to smoke into middle age:
Has an increased risk for cardiopulmonary disease and lung cancer
The risk of lung cancer is 10 times greater for a person who smokes than for a nonsmoker.
Cigarette smoking worsens peripheral vascular and coronary artery disease. Inhaled nicotine
causes vasoconstriction of peripheral and coronary blood vessels, increasing blood pressure and
decreasing blood flow to peripheral vessels.
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a toxic inhalant that decreases the oxygen-carrying capacity of blood
by:
Forming a strong bond with hemoglobin
CO is the most common toxic inhalant and decreases the oxygen-carrying capacity of blood. In
CO toxicity, hemoglobin strongly binds with carbon monoxide, creating a functional anemia.
Because of the strength of the bond, carbon monoxide does not easily dissociate from
hemoglobin, which makes hemoglobin unavailable for oxygen transport.
, Conditions such as shock and severe dehydration resulting from extracellular fluid loss cause:
Hypovolemia
Conditions such as shock and severe dehydration cause extracellular fluid loss and reduced
circulating blood volume (hypovolemia).
Fever increases the tissues' need for oxygen, and as a result:
Carbon dioxide production increases
Fever increases the tissues' need for oxygen, and as a result, carbon dioxide production
increases. When fever persists, the metabolic rate remains high and the body begins to break
down protein stores, which results in muscle wasting and decreased muscle mass.
Left-sided heart failure is characterized by:
Decreased functioning of the left ventricle
Left-sided heart failure is an abnormal condition characterized by decreased functioning of the
left ventricle. If left ventricular failure is significant, the amount of blood ejected from the left
ventricle drops greatly, which results in decreased cardiac output
Cyanosis, the blue discoloration of the skin and mucous membranes caused by the presence of
desaturated hemoglobin in capillaries, is:
A late sign of hypoxia
Cyanosis, blue discoloration of the skin and mucous membranes caused by the presence of
desaturated hemoglobin in capillaries, is a late sign of hypoxia. The presence or absence of
cyanosis is not a reliable measure of oxygen status.
A simple and cost-effective method for reducing the risks of stasis of pulmonary secretions and
decreased chest wall expansion is:
Frequent change of position
Changing the client's position frequently is a simple and cost-effective method for reducing the
risk of pneumonia associated with stasis of pulmonary secretions and decreased chest wall
expansion. Oxygen humidification, chest physiotherapy, and use of antiinfectives are all helpful,
but are not cost effective.
The nurse is concerned when a client's heart rate, which is normally 95 beats per minute, rises
to 220 beats per minute, because a rate this high will:
Reduce coronary artery perfusion
Coronary arteries fill and perfuse the myocardium (heart muscle) during diastole. When the
heart rate is elevated, more time is spent in systole and less in diastole; hence, the myocardium
