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HESI Remediation Critical Care Nursing Exam Q&A
Bank | 2026-2027 Latest Edition Study Guide
a - ANSWER-The nurse is providing postprocedure care to a client who
had a cardiac catheterization. The client begins to manifest signs and
symptoms associated with embolization. Which action should the nurse
take?
a. Notify the primary healthcare provider immediately
b. Apply a warm, moist compress to the incision site
c. Increase the intravenous fluid rate by 20 mL/hr
d. Monitor vital signs more frequently
b - ANSWER-A nurse observes a window washer falling 25 feet (7.6 m)
to the ground. The nurse rushes to the scene and determines that the
person is in cardiopulmonary arrest. What should the nurse do first?
a. Feel for a pulse
b. Begin chest compressions
c. Leave to call for assistance
d. Perform the abdominal thrust maneuver
d - ANSWER-A client reports left-sided chest pain after playing
racquetball. The client is hospitalized and diagnosed with left
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pneumothorax. When assessing the client's left chest area, the nurse
expects to identify which finding?
a. Dull sound on percussion
b. Vocal fremitus on palpation
c. Rales with rhonchi on auscultation
d. Absence of breath sounds on auscultation
c - ANSWER-A client is admitted to the hospital with partial- and full-
thickness burns of the chest and face sustained while trying to extinguish
a brush fire. Which is the nurse's priority concern?
a. Loss of skin integrity caused by the burns
b. Potential infection as a result of the burn injury
c. Inadequate gas exchange caused by smoke inhalation
d. Decreased fluid volume because of the depth of the burns
b - ANSWER-During the first 48 hours after a client has sustained a
thermal injury, which conditions should the nurse assess for?
a. Hypokalemia and hyponatremia
b. Hyperkalemia and hyponatremia
c. Hypokalemia and hypernatremia
d. Hyperkalemia and hypernatremia
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a - ANSWER-A nurse is assessing a client's ECG reading. The client's
atrial and ventricular heart rates are equal at 88 beats per min. The PR
interval is 0.14 seconds, and the QRS width is 0.10 seconds. Rhythm is
regular with normal P waves and QRS complexes. How will the nurse
interpret this rhythm?
a. Normal sinus rhythm
b. Sinus tachycardia
c. Sinus bradycardia
d. Sinus arrhythmia
b - ANSWER-The nurse is caring for a client with a diagnosis of
necrotizing fasciitis. Which is the priority concern of the nurse when
caring for this client?
a. Fluid volume
b. Skin integrity
c. Physical mobility
d. Urinary elimination
c - ANSWER-A client who had extensive pelvic surgery 24 hours ago
becomes cyanotic, is gasping for breath, and reports right-sided chest
pain. What should the nurse do first?
a. Obtain vital signs
b. Initiate a cardiac arrest code
c. Administer oxygen using a face mask
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d. Encourage the use of an incentive spirometer
c - ANSWER-A nurse is caring for a client with severe burns. The nurse
determines that this client is at risk for hypovolemic shock. Which
physiologic finding supports the nurse's conclusion?
a. Decreased rate of glomerular filtration
b. Excessive blood loss through the burned tissues
c. Plasma proteins moving out of the intravascular compartment
d. Sodium retention occurring as a result of the aldosterone mechanism
a - ANSWER-The nurse is caring for a client with burns and reviews the
client's laboratory results: blood urea nitrogen (BUN), 30 mg/dL (10.2
mmol/L); creatinine, 2.4 mg/dL (184 mcmol/L); serum potassium, 6.3
mEq/L (6.3 mmol/L); pH, 7.1; Po 2, 90 mm Hg; and hemoglobin (Hgb),
7.4 g/dL (74 mmol/L). Which condition does the nurse suspect the client
has based upon these findings?
a. Azotemia
b. Hypokalemia
c. Metabolic alkalosis
d. Respiratory alkalosis
d - ANSWER-A nurse is caring for a client who experienced serious
burns in a fire. Which relationship between a client's burned body
surface area and fluid loss should the nurse consider when evaluating
fluid loss in a client with burns?
HESI Remediation Critical Care Nursing Exam Q&A
Bank | 2026-2027 Latest Edition Study Guide
a - ANSWER-The nurse is providing postprocedure care to a client who
had a cardiac catheterization. The client begins to manifest signs and
symptoms associated with embolization. Which action should the nurse
take?
a. Notify the primary healthcare provider immediately
b. Apply a warm, moist compress to the incision site
c. Increase the intravenous fluid rate by 20 mL/hr
d. Monitor vital signs more frequently
b - ANSWER-A nurse observes a window washer falling 25 feet (7.6 m)
to the ground. The nurse rushes to the scene and determines that the
person is in cardiopulmonary arrest. What should the nurse do first?
a. Feel for a pulse
b. Begin chest compressions
c. Leave to call for assistance
d. Perform the abdominal thrust maneuver
d - ANSWER-A client reports left-sided chest pain after playing
racquetball. The client is hospitalized and diagnosed with left
,2|Page
pneumothorax. When assessing the client's left chest area, the nurse
expects to identify which finding?
a. Dull sound on percussion
b. Vocal fremitus on palpation
c. Rales with rhonchi on auscultation
d. Absence of breath sounds on auscultation
c - ANSWER-A client is admitted to the hospital with partial- and full-
thickness burns of the chest and face sustained while trying to extinguish
a brush fire. Which is the nurse's priority concern?
a. Loss of skin integrity caused by the burns
b. Potential infection as a result of the burn injury
c. Inadequate gas exchange caused by smoke inhalation
d. Decreased fluid volume because of the depth of the burns
b - ANSWER-During the first 48 hours after a client has sustained a
thermal injury, which conditions should the nurse assess for?
a. Hypokalemia and hyponatremia
b. Hyperkalemia and hyponatremia
c. Hypokalemia and hypernatremia
d. Hyperkalemia and hypernatremia
,3|Page
a - ANSWER-A nurse is assessing a client's ECG reading. The client's
atrial and ventricular heart rates are equal at 88 beats per min. The PR
interval is 0.14 seconds, and the QRS width is 0.10 seconds. Rhythm is
regular with normal P waves and QRS complexes. How will the nurse
interpret this rhythm?
a. Normal sinus rhythm
b. Sinus tachycardia
c. Sinus bradycardia
d. Sinus arrhythmia
b - ANSWER-The nurse is caring for a client with a diagnosis of
necrotizing fasciitis. Which is the priority concern of the nurse when
caring for this client?
a. Fluid volume
b. Skin integrity
c. Physical mobility
d. Urinary elimination
c - ANSWER-A client who had extensive pelvic surgery 24 hours ago
becomes cyanotic, is gasping for breath, and reports right-sided chest
pain. What should the nurse do first?
a. Obtain vital signs
b. Initiate a cardiac arrest code
c. Administer oxygen using a face mask
, 4|Page
d. Encourage the use of an incentive spirometer
c - ANSWER-A nurse is caring for a client with severe burns. The nurse
determines that this client is at risk for hypovolemic shock. Which
physiologic finding supports the nurse's conclusion?
a. Decreased rate of glomerular filtration
b. Excessive blood loss through the burned tissues
c. Plasma proteins moving out of the intravascular compartment
d. Sodium retention occurring as a result of the aldosterone mechanism
a - ANSWER-The nurse is caring for a client with burns and reviews the
client's laboratory results: blood urea nitrogen (BUN), 30 mg/dL (10.2
mmol/L); creatinine, 2.4 mg/dL (184 mcmol/L); serum potassium, 6.3
mEq/L (6.3 mmol/L); pH, 7.1; Po 2, 90 mm Hg; and hemoglobin (Hgb),
7.4 g/dL (74 mmol/L). Which condition does the nurse suspect the client
has based upon these findings?
a. Azotemia
b. Hypokalemia
c. Metabolic alkalosis
d. Respiratory alkalosis
d - ANSWER-A nurse is caring for a client who experienced serious
burns in a fire. Which relationship between a client's burned body
surface area and fluid loss should the nurse consider when evaluating
fluid loss in a client with burns?
