VASTLHCS Medical Surgical Specialty Certification Practice Exam questions with answers

VASTLHCS Medical Surgical Specialty |\ |\ |\ |\




Certification Practice Exam questions |\ |\ |\ |\




with answers |\




A patient, age 54, is admitted with a diagnosis of venous
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ulceration unresponsive to treatment. Which of the following is
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the nurse most likely to find during an assessment of a patient
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with venous ulceration?
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A. Gangrene
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B. Heavy exudate
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C. Deep wound bed
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D. Pale wound bed - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔Correct answer: B
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Moderate to heavy exudate is one characteristic of a venous
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ulcer. Other characteristics include irregular wound margins,
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superficial wound bed, and ruddy, granular tissue. Options A, C,
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and D are incorrect because they're characteristics of arterial
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ulcers.


The nurse is providing care for a patient who has a sacral
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pressure ulcer with a wet-to-dry dressing. Which guideline is
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appropriate when caring for a patient with a wet-to-dry dressing?
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A. The wound should remain moist from the dressing.
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B. The wet-to-dry dressing should be tightly packed into the
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wound.
C. The dressing should be allowed to dry before it's removed.
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D. A plastic sheet-type dressing should cover the wet dressing. -
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CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔Correct answer: C |\ |\ |\ |\ |\

,A wet-to-dry dressing should be allowed to dry and adhere to the
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wound before being removed. The goal is to debride the wound
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as the dressing is removed. Option A is incorrect because the
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wet-to-dry dressing isn't applied to keep a wound moist; a moist|\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\


saline dressing is applied to keep a wound moist. Option B is
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incorrect because tightly packing a wound damages the tissues.
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Option D is incorrect because a wet-to-dry dressing should be
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covered with a dry gauze dressing, not a plastic sheet-type
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dressing.


The nurse is assessing the laboratory values of a patient with an
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abdominal wound healing by secondary intention. Which of the |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\


following laboratory values indicates that the patient is receiving
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adequate nutrition? |\




A. Serum albumin level of 2.5 g/dl
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B. Prealbumin level of 18 mg/dl
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C. Transferrin level of 244 mg/dl
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D. Total lymphocyte count of 1,900 ml - CORRECT ANSWERS
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✔✔Correct answer: D |\ |\ |\




A total lymphocyte count greater than 1,800 ml indicates
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adequate nutrition. Options A, B, and C are incorrect because
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these laboratory values indicate poor nutrition.
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While auscultating the heart sounds of a patient with mitral
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insufficiency, the nurse hears an extra heart sound immediately |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\


after the second heart sound (S2). The nurse should document
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this extra heart sound as:
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A. a first heart sound (S1).
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B. a third heart sound (S3).
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, C. a fourth heart sound (S4).
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D. a mitral murmur. - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔Correct answer: B
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An S3 is heard following an S2, indicating that the patient is
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experiencing heart failure and results from increased filling |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\


pressures. Option A (S1) is a normal heart sound made by the |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\


closing of the mitral and tricuspid valves. Option C (S4) is heard
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before S1 and is caused by resistance to ventricular filling. Option
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D (murmur of mitral insufficiency)
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A patient is receiving captopril for heart failure. The nurse should
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notify the practitioner that the medication therapy is ineffective
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if an assessment reveals:
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A. a skin rash.
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B. peripheral edema.
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C. a dry cough.
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D. postural hypotension. - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔Correct
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answer: B |\ |\




Peripheral edema is a sign of fluid volume overload and |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\


worsening heart failure. The other options (a skin rash, dry |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\


cough, and postural hypotension) are adverse reactions to
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captopril, but they don't indicate that therapy isn't effective.
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When assessing the patient, the nurse knows the body system
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that's least affected by multiple myeloma is:
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A. Skeletal system
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B. Renal system
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C. Nervous system
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