1. The nurse practitioner for a cardiology practice is responsible for providing presurgical
teaching for patients who are about to undergo a coronary artery bypass graft. Which of the
following teaching points best conveys an aspect of the human circulatory system? (Points : 3)
“Your blood pressure varies widely between arteries and veins, and between pulmonary and
systemic circulation.”
“Only around one quarter of your blood is in your heart at any given time.”
“Blood pressure and blood volume roughly mimic one another at any given location in the
circulatory system.”
“Left-sided and right-sided pumping action at each beat of the heart must equal each other to
ensure adequate blood distribution.”
Question 2.2. A physical assessment of a 28-year-old female patient indicates that her blood
pressure in her legs is lower than that in her arms and that her brachial pulse is weaker in her
left arm than in her right. In addition, her femoral pulses are weak bilaterally. Which of the
following possibilities would her care provider be most likely to suspect? (Points : 3)
Pheochromocytoma
Essential hypertension
Coarctation of the aorta
An adrenocortical disorder
, Question 3.3. As part of the diagnostic workup for a male patient with a complex history of
cardiovascular disease, the care team has identified the need for a record of the electrical
activity of his heart, insight into the metabolism of his myocardium, and physical measurements,
and imaging of his heart. Which of the following series of tests is most likely to provide the
needed data for his diagnosis and care? (Points : 3)
Echocardiogram, PET scan, ECG
Ambulatory ECG, cardiac MRI, echocardiogram
Serum creatinine levels, chest auscultation, myocardial perfusion scintigraphy
Cardiac catheterization, cardiac CT, exercise stress testing
Question 4.4. An older adult female patient has presented with a new onset of shortness of
breath, and the patient's nurse practitioner has ordered measurement of her BNP levels along
with other diagnostic tests. What is the most accurate rationale for the nurse practitioner's
choice of blood work? (Points : 3)
BNP is released as a compensatory mechanism during heart failure and measuring it can help
differentiate the patient's dyspnea from a respiratory pathology.
BNP is an indirect indicator of the effectiveness of the RAA system in compensating for heart
failure.
BNP levels correlate with the patient's risk of developing cognitive deficits secondary to heart
failure and consequent brain hypoxia.
BNP becomes elevated in cases of cardiac asthma, Cheyne-Stokes respirations, and acute
pulmonary edema, and measurement can gauge the severity of pulmonary effects.