ACLS POST TEST 50 QUESTIONS WITH DETAILED ANSWERS
Synchronized shocks are recommended for patients with unstable
supraventricular tachycardia, unstable atrial fibrillation, unstable atrial flutter,
and unstable regular monomorphic tachycardia with pulses.
A 68-year-old woman presents with light-headedness, nausea, and chest
discomfort. Your assessment finds her awake and responsive but ill-appearing,
pale, and grossly diaphoretic. Her radial pulse is weak, thready, and fast. You are
unable to obtain a blood pressure. She has no obvious dependent edema, and her
neck veins are flat. Her lung sounds are equal, with moderate rales present
bilaterally. The cardiac monitor shows the rhythm seen here.
After your initial assessment of this patient, which intervention should be
performed next?
A. Synchronized cardioversion
B. Administration of amiodarone 150 mg IM
C. Immediate defibrillation
D. Endotracheal intubation
Pulseless ventricular tachycardia is included in the algorithm because it is treated
as ventricular fibrillation. Ventricular fibrillation and pulseless ventricular
,tachycardia require CPR until a defibrillator is available. Both are treated with
high-energy unsynchronized shocks. The interval from collapse to defibrillation is
one of the most important determinants of survival from cardiac arrest. Early
defibrillation is critical for patients with sudden cardiac arrest.
A 68-year-old woman presents with light-headedness, nausea, and chest
discomfort. Your assessment finds her awake and responsive but ill-appearing,
pale, and grossly diaphoretic. Her radial pulse is weak, thready, and fast. You are
unable to obtain a blood pressure. She has no obvious dependent edema, and her
neck veins are flat. Her lung sounds are equal, with moderate rales present
bilaterally. The cardiac monitor shows the rhythm seen here.
If the patient became apneic and pulseless but the rhythm remained the same,
which would take the highest priority?
A. Administer amiodarone 300 mg
B. Administer atropine 0.5 mg
C. Insert an advanced airway
D. Perform defibrillation
This ECG rhythm strip shows second-degree type II atrioventricular block.
Which type of atrioventricular block best describes this rhythm?
A. First-degree
B. Second-degree type I
, C. Second-degree type II
D. Third-degree
The AHA recommends using quantitative waveform capnography in intubated
patients to monitor CPR quality, optimize chest compressions, and detect return
of spontaneous circulation during chest compressions.
Your patient is in cardiac arrest and has been intubated. To assess CPR quality,
which should you do?
A. Monitor the patient's PETCO2
B. Obtain a 12-lead ECG
C. Check the patient's pulse
D. Obtain a chest x-ray
After return of spontaneous circulation in patients in whom coronary artery
occlusion is suspected, providers should transport the patient to a facility capable
of reliably providing coronary reperfusion (eg, percutaneous coronary
intervention) and other goal-directed post–cardiac arrest care therapies.
Which facility is the most appropriate EMS destination for a patient with sudden
cardiac arrest who achieved return of spontaneous circulation in the field?
A. Comprehensive stroke care unit
B. Acute rehabilitation care unit
Synchronized shocks are recommended for patients with unstable
supraventricular tachycardia, unstable atrial fibrillation, unstable atrial flutter,
and unstable regular monomorphic tachycardia with pulses.
A 68-year-old woman presents with light-headedness, nausea, and chest
discomfort. Your assessment finds her awake and responsive but ill-appearing,
pale, and grossly diaphoretic. Her radial pulse is weak, thready, and fast. You are
unable to obtain a blood pressure. She has no obvious dependent edema, and her
neck veins are flat. Her lung sounds are equal, with moderate rales present
bilaterally. The cardiac monitor shows the rhythm seen here.
After your initial assessment of this patient, which intervention should be
performed next?
A. Synchronized cardioversion
B. Administration of amiodarone 150 mg IM
C. Immediate defibrillation
D. Endotracheal intubation
Pulseless ventricular tachycardia is included in the algorithm because it is treated
as ventricular fibrillation. Ventricular fibrillation and pulseless ventricular
,tachycardia require CPR until a defibrillator is available. Both are treated with
high-energy unsynchronized shocks. The interval from collapse to defibrillation is
one of the most important determinants of survival from cardiac arrest. Early
defibrillation is critical for patients with sudden cardiac arrest.
A 68-year-old woman presents with light-headedness, nausea, and chest
discomfort. Your assessment finds her awake and responsive but ill-appearing,
pale, and grossly diaphoretic. Her radial pulse is weak, thready, and fast. You are
unable to obtain a blood pressure. She has no obvious dependent edema, and her
neck veins are flat. Her lung sounds are equal, with moderate rales present
bilaterally. The cardiac monitor shows the rhythm seen here.
If the patient became apneic and pulseless but the rhythm remained the same,
which would take the highest priority?
A. Administer amiodarone 300 mg
B. Administer atropine 0.5 mg
C. Insert an advanced airway
D. Perform defibrillation
This ECG rhythm strip shows second-degree type II atrioventricular block.
Which type of atrioventricular block best describes this rhythm?
A. First-degree
B. Second-degree type I
, C. Second-degree type II
D. Third-degree
The AHA recommends using quantitative waveform capnography in intubated
patients to monitor CPR quality, optimize chest compressions, and detect return
of spontaneous circulation during chest compressions.
Your patient is in cardiac arrest and has been intubated. To assess CPR quality,
which should you do?
A. Monitor the patient's PETCO2
B. Obtain a 12-lead ECG
C. Check the patient's pulse
D. Obtain a chest x-ray
After return of spontaneous circulation in patients in whom coronary artery
occlusion is suspected, providers should transport the patient to a facility capable
of reliably providing coronary reperfusion (eg, percutaneous coronary
intervention) and other goal-directed post–cardiac arrest care therapies.
Which facility is the most appropriate EMS destination for a patient with sudden
cardiac arrest who achieved return of spontaneous circulation in the field?
A. Comprehensive stroke care unit
B. Acute rehabilitation care unit
