CRITICAL CARE QUESTION WITH ANSWERS MID TERM
A client reports left-sided chest pain after playing racquetball. The client is hospitalized and
diagnosed with left pneumothorax. When assessing the client's left chest area, the nurse expects
to identify which finding?
• Dull sound on percussion
• Vocal fremitus on palpation
• Rales with rhonchi on auscultation
• Absence of breath sounds on auscultation
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?
• Loss of skin integrity caused by the burns
• Potential infection as a result of the burn injury
• Inadequate gas exchange caused by smoke inhalation
• Decreased fluid volume because of the depth of the burns
: During the first 48 hours after a client has sustained a thermal injury, which conditions should the
nurse assess for?
• Hypokalemia and hyponatremia
• Hyperkalemia and hyponatremia
• Hypokalemia and hypernatremia
• Hyperkalemia and hypernatremia
,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?
• Normal sinus rhythm
• Sinus tachycardia
• Sinus bradycardia
• Sinus arrhythmia
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?
• Fluid volume
• Skin integrity
• Physical mobility
• Urinary elimination
: 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?
• Obtain vital signs
• Initiate a cardiac arrest code
• Administer oxygen using a face mask
• Encourage the use of an incentive spirometer
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?
• Decreased rate of glomerular filtration
• Excessive blood loss through the burned tissues
• Plasma proteins moving out of the intravascular compartment
• Sodium retention occurring as a result of the aldosterone mechanism
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?
• Azotemia
• Hypokalemia
• Metabolic alkalosis
• Respiratory alkalosis
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?
• Equal
• Unrelated
• Inversely related
• Directly proportional
A burn client is receiving the open method for wound treatment. Which information will the
, nurse explain to the client?
• Bathing will not be permitted.
• Dressings will be changed daily.
• Personal protective equipment will be worn by staff.
• Room temperature will be kept below 72° F (22.2° C).
A client presents to the emergency department with weakness and dizziness. The blood pressure is
90/60 mm Hg, pulse is 92 and weak, and body weight reflects a 3-pound (1.4 kilogram) loss in two
days. The weather has been hot. Which condition should the nurse conclude is the priority for this
client?
• Deficient fluid volume
• Impaired skin integrity
• Inadequate nutritional intake
• Decreased participation in activities
A client is admitted with severe burns. The nurse is caring for the client 36 hours after the client's
admission and identifies the client's potassium level of 6.0 mEq/L (6.0 mmol/L). Which drink will the
nurse recommend be included in the client's diet?
• Milk
• Tea
• Orange juice
• Tomato juice
: A man comes to the office of her healthcare provider reporting shortness of breath and epigastric
distress that is not relieved by antacids. To which question would a woman experiencing a
myocardial infarction respond differently than a man?
A client reports left-sided chest pain after playing racquetball. The client is hospitalized and
diagnosed with left pneumothorax. When assessing the client's left chest area, the nurse expects
to identify which finding?
• Dull sound on percussion
• Vocal fremitus on palpation
• Rales with rhonchi on auscultation
• Absence of breath sounds on auscultation
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?
• Loss of skin integrity caused by the burns
• Potential infection as a result of the burn injury
• Inadequate gas exchange caused by smoke inhalation
• Decreased fluid volume because of the depth of the burns
: During the first 48 hours after a client has sustained a thermal injury, which conditions should the
nurse assess for?
• Hypokalemia and hyponatremia
• Hyperkalemia and hyponatremia
• Hypokalemia and hypernatremia
• Hyperkalemia and hypernatremia
,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?
• Normal sinus rhythm
• Sinus tachycardia
• Sinus bradycardia
• Sinus arrhythmia
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?
• Fluid volume
• Skin integrity
• Physical mobility
• Urinary elimination
: 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?
• Obtain vital signs
• Initiate a cardiac arrest code
• Administer oxygen using a face mask
• Encourage the use of an incentive spirometer
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?
• Decreased rate of glomerular filtration
• Excessive blood loss through the burned tissues
• Plasma proteins moving out of the intravascular compartment
• Sodium retention occurring as a result of the aldosterone mechanism
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?
• Azotemia
• Hypokalemia
• Metabolic alkalosis
• Respiratory alkalosis
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?
• Equal
• Unrelated
• Inversely related
• Directly proportional
A burn client is receiving the open method for wound treatment. Which information will the
, nurse explain to the client?
• Bathing will not be permitted.
• Dressings will be changed daily.
• Personal protective equipment will be worn by staff.
• Room temperature will be kept below 72° F (22.2° C).
A client presents to the emergency department with weakness and dizziness. The blood pressure is
90/60 mm Hg, pulse is 92 and weak, and body weight reflects a 3-pound (1.4 kilogram) loss in two
days. The weather has been hot. Which condition should the nurse conclude is the priority for this
client?
• Deficient fluid volume
• Impaired skin integrity
• Inadequate nutritional intake
• Decreased participation in activities
A client is admitted with severe burns. The nurse is caring for the client 36 hours after the client's
admission and identifies the client's potassium level of 6.0 mEq/L (6.0 mmol/L). Which drink will the
nurse recommend be included in the client's diet?
• Milk
• Tea
• Orange juice
• Tomato juice
: A man comes to the office of her healthcare provider reporting shortness of breath and epigastric
distress that is not relieved by antacids. To which question would a woman experiencing a
myocardial infarction respond differently than a man?
