CARDIOVASCULAR PHARMACOLOGY
AND DRUG THERAPY EXAM STUDY GUIDE
2026 PRACTICE MATERIALS
●● What is the normal heartbeat range? Answer: 60 to 100 beats per
minute.
●● What is the size of the heart compared to a common object? Answer:
The size of a person's fist.
●● What are the three main layers of the heart? Answer: Endocardium,
myocardium, and epicardium.
●● What is the function of the pericardium? Answer: It is the connective
tissue surrounding the heart.
●● What are the two chambers of the heart involved in oxygenation?
Answer: Right atrium and right ventricle.
●● What do the superior and inferior vena cava do? Answer: They return
blood to the heart from the upper and lower portions of the body,
respectively.
, ●● What happens to blood in the right ventricle? Answer: It contracts
and sends blood to the pulmonary arteries for oxygenation in the lungs.
●● What is the role of the left atrium? Answer: It receives oxygenated
blood from the lungs via pulmonary veins.
●● What is the cardiac conduction system? Answer: It provides the
electrical charge that makes the heart pump, run by the sinoatrial (SA)
and atrioventricular (AV) nodes.
●● What are the two readings of blood pressure? Answer: Systole
(contraction phase) and diastole (relaxation phase).
●● What is considered normal blood pressure? Answer: 120/80 mmHg.
●● What defines high blood pressure (hypertension)? Answer: Above
140 mmHg for systolic and above 90 mmHg for diastolic.
●● What factors can influence hypertension? Answer: Increased cardiac
output, blood volume, hormone levels, diet, obesity, and genetics.
●● What are common conditions affecting the cardiovascular system?
Answer: Hyperlipidemia, hypertension, myocardial infarction,
prehypertensive state, thrombosis, and congestive heart failure.
AND DRUG THERAPY EXAM STUDY GUIDE
2026 PRACTICE MATERIALS
●● What is the normal heartbeat range? Answer: 60 to 100 beats per
minute.
●● What is the size of the heart compared to a common object? Answer:
The size of a person's fist.
●● What are the three main layers of the heart? Answer: Endocardium,
myocardium, and epicardium.
●● What is the function of the pericardium? Answer: It is the connective
tissue surrounding the heart.
●● What are the two chambers of the heart involved in oxygenation?
Answer: Right atrium and right ventricle.
●● What do the superior and inferior vena cava do? Answer: They return
blood to the heart from the upper and lower portions of the body,
respectively.
, ●● What happens to blood in the right ventricle? Answer: It contracts
and sends blood to the pulmonary arteries for oxygenation in the lungs.
●● What is the role of the left atrium? Answer: It receives oxygenated
blood from the lungs via pulmonary veins.
●● What is the cardiac conduction system? Answer: It provides the
electrical charge that makes the heart pump, run by the sinoatrial (SA)
and atrioventricular (AV) nodes.
●● What are the two readings of blood pressure? Answer: Systole
(contraction phase) and diastole (relaxation phase).
●● What is considered normal blood pressure? Answer: 120/80 mmHg.
●● What defines high blood pressure (hypertension)? Answer: Above
140 mmHg for systolic and above 90 mmHg for diastolic.
●● What factors can influence hypertension? Answer: Increased cardiac
output, blood volume, hormone levels, diet, obesity, and genetics.
●● What are common conditions affecting the cardiovascular system?
Answer: Hyperlipidemia, hypertension, myocardial infarction,
prehypertensive state, thrombosis, and congestive heart failure.
