Med Surg Exit HESI-- General Exam Study
Guide – Practice Questions & Verified Answers
Ready to walk into your exam feeling 100%
prepared and confident?
This powerful study guide is designed for students who don’t just want to pass — they want
to excel.
Forget boring notes and endless rereading. This resource gives you real exam-style practice
questions that reflect the structure, difficulty, and expectations of actual assessments. Every
question includes clear, accurate answers with detailed explanations, so you truly understand
the material instead of memorizing blindly.
🔥 What Makes This Study Guide Different?
✔ Covers the most important and frequently tested topics
✔ Mirrors real exam question formats
✔ Provides step-by-step explanations for deeper understanding
✔ Clean, organized layout for quick revision
✔ Updated and relevant academic content
✔ Designed to improve critical thinking and test-taking skills
💡 Why Students Choose This Guide
Students love this resource because it helps them:
• Identify weak areas quickly
• Strengthen understanding of key concepts
• Improve exam strategy and confidence
• Prepare effectively — even under time pressure
• Boost grades and overall academic performance
,Whether you’re studying weeks ahead or revising the night before, this guide gives you the
clarity, structure, and practice you need to perform at your best.
🎯 Perfect For:
• Final exam preparation
• Midterm reviews
• Weekly revision sessions
• Mastering difficult topics
• Improving academic results
📘 Stop stressing. Start preparing smarter. Get the results you deserve.
This is more than a study guide — it’s your shortcut to exam success.
Monitor ABGs -ANSWER PO2 > 80 mm Hg; PCO2 35-45 mm Hg; HCO3 21-28 mEq/L; pH
7.35-7.45
Chronic bronchitis -ANSWER Airway destruction
Chronic sputum with cough production on a daily basis for a minimum of 3 months in 2
consecutive years
Reduced responsiveness of respiratory center to hypoxemia stimuli
Precipitating factor: higher incidence in smokers
"Blue bloaters" - generalized cyanosis of lips, mucous membranes, face, and nail beds
Right-sided heart failure (distended neck veins, crackles)
Lowest FiO2 possible to prevent CO2 retention
Monitor for fluid overload
Maintain PO2 between 55 and 60
Administer bronchodilators and anti-inflammatory agents
,Emphysema -ANSWER Alveoli destruction
Increased air trapping (increased AP diameter)
Increased work, increased O2 consumption
Precipitating factor: cigarette smoking
"Pink puffers"
Barrel chest, pursed-lip breathing, wheezing
Lowest FiO2 possible to prevent CO2 retention
Administer bronchodilators and anti-inflammatory agents
Teach prolonged expiratory phase to clear trapped air
Asthma -ANSWER Unlike COPD, asthma is an intermittent disease with reversible airflow
obstruction and wheezing
COPD -ANSWER Emphysema and chronic bronchitis
Characterized by bronchospasm and dyspnea
Compensation occurs over time in clients with chronic lung disease and ABGs are altered
The amount of O2 in the blood decreased (hypoxemia) and the amount of CO2 in the blood
increases (hypercapnia) causing chronic respiratory acidosis, which results in metabolic alkalosis
as compensation
Clients at risk for pneumonia -ANSWER Altered LOC
Depressed or absent gag and cough reflexes
Susceptible to aspirating oropharyngeal secretions (alcoholics, anesthetized individuals)
Brain injury
Drug overdose
Stroke victims
, Immunocompromised
Adrenergics and sympathomimetics -ANSWER Epinephrine; Albuterol (Proventil);
Terbutaline (Brethine); Salmeterol (Serevent); Metaproterenol (Alupent); Levabuterol (Xopenex)
Bronchodilation
Adverse reactions: anxiety, increased HR, N/V, urinary retention
Methylxanthine -ANSWER Aminophylline (IV); Theophylline (PO)
Bronchodilation
Adverse reactions: hyperactivity, tachycardia, sleeplessness, cardiac dysrhythmias
Monitor therapeutic range
Crosses placenta
Corticosteroids -ANSWER Prednisone (PO); Solu-Medrol (IV); Budesonide (Pulmicort);
Fluticasone (Flovent); Triamcinolone (Azmacort)
Anti-inflammatory
Encourage oral care after use
Anticholinergics -ANSWER Ipratropium (Atrovent); Tiotropium (Spiriva)
Bronchodilator; control of rhinorrhea
Adverse reactions: dry mouth, blurred visions, cough
O2 delivery -ANSWER O2 must be humidified if given at >4 L/min or delivered directly to
the trachea
Tuberculosis -ANSWER Airborne precautions*****
Guide – Practice Questions & Verified Answers
Ready to walk into your exam feeling 100%
prepared and confident?
This powerful study guide is designed for students who don’t just want to pass — they want
to excel.
Forget boring notes and endless rereading. This resource gives you real exam-style practice
questions that reflect the structure, difficulty, and expectations of actual assessments. Every
question includes clear, accurate answers with detailed explanations, so you truly understand
the material instead of memorizing blindly.
🔥 What Makes This Study Guide Different?
✔ Covers the most important and frequently tested topics
✔ Mirrors real exam question formats
✔ Provides step-by-step explanations for deeper understanding
✔ Clean, organized layout for quick revision
✔ Updated and relevant academic content
✔ Designed to improve critical thinking and test-taking skills
💡 Why Students Choose This Guide
Students love this resource because it helps them:
• Identify weak areas quickly
• Strengthen understanding of key concepts
• Improve exam strategy and confidence
• Prepare effectively — even under time pressure
• Boost grades and overall academic performance
,Whether you’re studying weeks ahead or revising the night before, this guide gives you the
clarity, structure, and practice you need to perform at your best.
🎯 Perfect For:
• Final exam preparation
• Midterm reviews
• Weekly revision sessions
• Mastering difficult topics
• Improving academic results
📘 Stop stressing. Start preparing smarter. Get the results you deserve.
This is more than a study guide — it’s your shortcut to exam success.
Monitor ABGs -ANSWER PO2 > 80 mm Hg; PCO2 35-45 mm Hg; HCO3 21-28 mEq/L; pH
7.35-7.45
Chronic bronchitis -ANSWER Airway destruction
Chronic sputum with cough production on a daily basis for a minimum of 3 months in 2
consecutive years
Reduced responsiveness of respiratory center to hypoxemia stimuli
Precipitating factor: higher incidence in smokers
"Blue bloaters" - generalized cyanosis of lips, mucous membranes, face, and nail beds
Right-sided heart failure (distended neck veins, crackles)
Lowest FiO2 possible to prevent CO2 retention
Monitor for fluid overload
Maintain PO2 between 55 and 60
Administer bronchodilators and anti-inflammatory agents
,Emphysema -ANSWER Alveoli destruction
Increased air trapping (increased AP diameter)
Increased work, increased O2 consumption
Precipitating factor: cigarette smoking
"Pink puffers"
Barrel chest, pursed-lip breathing, wheezing
Lowest FiO2 possible to prevent CO2 retention
Administer bronchodilators and anti-inflammatory agents
Teach prolonged expiratory phase to clear trapped air
Asthma -ANSWER Unlike COPD, asthma is an intermittent disease with reversible airflow
obstruction and wheezing
COPD -ANSWER Emphysema and chronic bronchitis
Characterized by bronchospasm and dyspnea
Compensation occurs over time in clients with chronic lung disease and ABGs are altered
The amount of O2 in the blood decreased (hypoxemia) and the amount of CO2 in the blood
increases (hypercapnia) causing chronic respiratory acidosis, which results in metabolic alkalosis
as compensation
Clients at risk for pneumonia -ANSWER Altered LOC
Depressed or absent gag and cough reflexes
Susceptible to aspirating oropharyngeal secretions (alcoholics, anesthetized individuals)
Brain injury
Drug overdose
Stroke victims
, Immunocompromised
Adrenergics and sympathomimetics -ANSWER Epinephrine; Albuterol (Proventil);
Terbutaline (Brethine); Salmeterol (Serevent); Metaproterenol (Alupent); Levabuterol (Xopenex)
Bronchodilation
Adverse reactions: anxiety, increased HR, N/V, urinary retention
Methylxanthine -ANSWER Aminophylline (IV); Theophylline (PO)
Bronchodilation
Adverse reactions: hyperactivity, tachycardia, sleeplessness, cardiac dysrhythmias
Monitor therapeutic range
Crosses placenta
Corticosteroids -ANSWER Prednisone (PO); Solu-Medrol (IV); Budesonide (Pulmicort);
Fluticasone (Flovent); Triamcinolone (Azmacort)
Anti-inflammatory
Encourage oral care after use
Anticholinergics -ANSWER Ipratropium (Atrovent); Tiotropium (Spiriva)
Bronchodilator; control of rhinorrhea
Adverse reactions: dry mouth, blurred visions, cough
O2 delivery -ANSWER O2 must be humidified if given at >4 L/min or delivered directly to
the trachea
Tuberculosis -ANSWER Airborne precautions*****
