NUR 245 Exam 1 – 320 Questions and Answers on CAD, Acute Coronary Syndrome, Heart Failure & Dysrhythmias

This document contains approximately 320 exam questions and verified answers designed to help nursing students prepare for NUR 245 Exam 1, focusing on cardiovascular, hepatic, and thromboembolic disorders commonly covered in adult health and medical-surgical nursing courses. The material is structured in a comprehensive question-and-answer format that reinforces key nursing concepts, disease pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, diagnostic procedures, and patient management strategies used in professional nursing practice. The study material begins with an extensive review of coronary artery disease (CAD) and its underlying pathophysiology. Early sections explain how endothelial injury and inflammation lead to the formation of fatty streaks, fibrous plaques, and eventually complicated atherosclerotic lesions that restrict coronary blood flow. The document outlines nonmodifiable and modifiable risk factors including age, genetics, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, tobacco use, physical inactivity, and dyslipidemia. It also explains preventive strategies such as lifestyle modification, physical activity using the FITT principle, and dietary changes aimed at lowering cholesterol and improving cardiovascular health. A major portion of the document focuses on angina and acute coronary syndromes, including chronic stable angina, unstable angina, NSTEMI, and STEMI. The material explains how myocardial ischemia occurs when oxygen demand exceeds supply and details common symptoms such as chest pressure, dyspnea, fatigue, and radiation of pain to the jaw or arms. Diagnostic procedures such as 12-lead ECG interpretation, cardiac biomarkers (troponin and CK-MB), stress testing, echocardiography, and cardiac catheterization are thoroughly reviewed. Treatment strategies discussed include oxygen therapy, nitroglycerin, morphine, aspirin, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), thrombolytic therapy, and coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). The document also covers myocardial infarction pathophysiology and complications, explaining how plaque rupture leads to abrupt coronary artery occlusion and irreversible myocardial cell death. It describes clinical manifestations, inflammatory healing processes, and complications such as cardiogenic shock, ventricular dysrhythmias, papillary muscle rupture, ventricular aneurysm, pericarditis, and Dressler syndrome. Detailed nursing interventions for acute coronary syndrome management, including rapid ECG assessment, cardiac monitoring, medication administration, and post-intervention care, are included to help students understand real clinical workflows. Another major section focuses on heart failure and cardiovascular hemodynamics. The guide explains the differences between heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), as well as the compensatory mechanisms involved in disease progression such as activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) and sympathetic nervous system stimulation. Students review common manifestations of left-sided and right-sided heart failure, including pulmonary congestion, orthopnea, peripheral edema, jugular venous distention, and decreased cardiac output. Management strategies such as oxygen therapy, diuretics, sodium restriction, daily weight monitoring, and patient education are also covered. The document further reviews cardiac electrical conduction and dysrhythmias, including sinus bradycardia, sinus tachycardia, premature atrial contractions, atrial flutter, atrial fibrillation, premature ventricular contractions, ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, and asystole. Key ECG interpretation principles such as normal PR intervals, QRS duration, QT interval, and ST-segment changes are explained. Emergency management procedures such as cardioversion, defibrillation, advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) interventions, and pharmacologic treatments are also addressed. Additional sections provide in-depth coverage of liver disease and cirrhosis, including portal hypertension, ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, and variceal bleeding. Nursing management strategies such as sodium restriction, diuretic therapy, paracentesis, lactulose treatment for ammonia reduction, and monitoring for complications are discussed. The document also includes content related to venous thromboembolism (VTE) and pulmonary embolism, explaining Virchow’s triad, risk factors, diagnostic testing such as D-dimer and CT angiography, and treatments including anticoagulation therapy and thrombolytic medications. The material aligns with widely used nursing textbooks such as “Lewis’s Medical-Surgical Nursing: Assessment and Management of Clinical Problems”, which is commonly used in undergraduate nursing programs for cardiovascular and multisystem disease education. This document may be useful for courses and academic programs such as: NUR 245 Adult Health Nursing Medical-Surgical Nursing I Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Nursing Pathophysiology for Nursing Practice Clinical Nursing Foundations It may also benefit students including: Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) students Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students Medical-surgical nursing students preparing for exams NCLEX preparation students reviewing cardiovascular disorders Healthcare trainees studying cardiovascular pathophysiology Overall, this document serves as a comprehensive exam preparation resource that compiles cardiovascular disease concepts, heart failure management, dysrhythmia recognition, liver disease complications, and thromboembolic disorders into structured exam-style questions. It helps nursing students strengthen their understanding of major clinical conditions, diagnostic procedures, and evidence-based nursing interventions necessary for academic success and safe patient care. Keywords coronary artery disease nursing pathophysiology acute coronary syndrome nursing management chronic stable angina nursing care STEMI NSTEMI myocardial infarction treatment cardiac biomarkers troponin CK MB interpretation percutaneous coronary intervention PCI nursing care heart failure HFrEF HFpEF nursing interventions RAAS sympathetic nervous system heart failure ECG interpretation PR QRS QT interval nursing atrial fibrillation atrial flutter dysrhythmia management ventricular tachycardia ventricular fibrillation ACLS cirrhosis portal hypertension ascites nursing care hepatic encephalopathy lactulose treatment nursing venous thromboembolism virchows triad nursing pulmonary embolism diagnosis anticoagulation therapy