NURS 327 EXAM 2 ACTUAL EXAM 2026 | ALL QUESTIONS AND
CORRECT ANSWERS | GRADED A+ | VERIFIED ANSWERS | BRAND
NEW VERSION!
Question 1
In a fetus, the most oxygenated blood is found in the:
A) Aorta
B) Pulmonary artery
C) Umbilical artery
D) Umbilical vein
E) Right atrium
Correct Answer: D) Umbilical vein
Rationale: The umbilical vein carries freshly oxygenated and nutrient-rich blood from the
placenta to the fetus.
Question 2
What structure in fetal circulation allows blood to bypass the liver?
A) Foramen ovale
B) Ductus arteriosus
C) Ductus venosus
D) Umbilical artery
E) Pulmonary vein
Correct Answer: C) Ductus venosus
Rationale: The ductus venosus is the first of the three fetal shunts. It shunts a significant
portion of the oxygenated blood from the umbilical vein directly to the inferior vena cava,
bypassing the fetal hepatic circulation.
Question 3
What is a key cardiovascular change that occurs at birth?
A) The foramen ovale opens.
B) Pulmonary vascular resistance increases, and systemic vascular resistance decreases.
C) The ductus arteriosus becomes the ligamentum arteriosum.
,D) The ductus venosus remains patent for several weeks.
E) Blood flow shifts from a left-to-right to a right-to-left pattern.
Correct Answer: C) The ductus arteriosus becomes the ligamentum arteriosum.
Rationale: At birth, with the first breath and increased oxygen levels, the ductus arteriosus
begins to constrict. It functionally closes within hours to days and eventually closes
anatomically, becoming a fibrous remnant known as the ligamentum arteriosum.
Question 4
What causes the foramen ovale to close at birth?
A) A decrease in pulmonary blood flow.
B) An increase in right atrial pressure.
C) The clamping of the umbilical cord.
D) An increase in left atrial pressure that becomes higher than right atrial pressure.
E) A decrease in the infant's heart rate.
Correct Answer: D) An increase in left atrial pressure that becomes higher than right atrial
pressure.
Rationale: When the lungs expand, pulmonary vascular resistance drops, and a large volume
of blood returns from the lungs to the left atrium. This, combined with the rise in systemic
pressure, causes the left atrial pressure to exceed the right atrial pressure, which pushes the
flap of the foramen ovale closed.
Question 5
Congenital heart defects that cause an abnormal connection between the heart chambers,
leading to increased blood flow to the lungs, are classified as:
A) Defects with decreased pulmonary blood flow
B) Defects with increased pulmonary blood flow
C) Obstructive defects
D) Mixed defects
E) Cyanotic defects
,Correct Answer: B) Defects with increased pulmonary blood flow
Rationale: Defects like VSD and PDA allow blood to shunt from the higher-pressure left side of
the heart to the lower-pressure right side, sending an extra volume of oxygenated blood back
to the lungs.
Question 6
A ventricular septal defect (VSD) is an abnormal opening between the:
A) Right and left atria
B) Right and left ventricles
C) Aorta and pulmonary artery
D) Superior and inferior vena cava
E) Pulmonary veins and the left atrium
Correct Answer: B) Right and left ventricles
Rationale: A VSD is a hole in the ventricular septum, the wall that separates the two lower
chambers (ventricles) of the heart.
Question 7
The direction of the blood shunt in a VSD is typically:
A) Left-to-right
B) Right-to-left
C) Bidirectional
D) Top-to-bottom
E) From the aorta to the pulmonary artery
Correct Answer: A) Left-to-right
Rationale: Because the pressure in the left ventricle is significantly higher than in the right
ventricle, blood is shunted from the left ventricle through the VSD into the right ventricle.
Question 8
What is a common clinical manifestation of a large VSD in an infant?
A) Central cyanosis at rest
B) Signs of heart failure
, C) Bradycardia
D) Weak or absent femoral pulses
E) A continuous "machine-like" murmur
Correct Answer: B) Signs of heart failure
Rationale: The large volume of blood being shunted to the right side of the heart and then to
the lungs causes volume overload. This increased pulmonary blood flow can lead to
pulmonary edema, tachypnea, poor feeding, and other signs of congestive heart failure.
Question 9
Children with a VSD are often prescribed prophylactic antibiotics before dental procedures to
prevent:
A) Heart failure
B) Pulmonary hypertension
C) Endocarditis
D) Stroke
E) Rheumatic fever
Correct Answer: C) Endocarditis
Rationale: The turbulent blood flow through the VSD can damage the heart's lining, creating a
rough surface where bacteria introduced into the bloodstream (e.g., during a dental
procedure) can implant and cause a serious infection of the heart known as bacterial
endocarditis.
Question 10
A patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is a failure of which fetal structure to close after birth?
A) The foramen ovale
B) The ductus venosus
C) The umbilical vein
D) The ductus arteriosus
E) The umbilical artery
CORRECT ANSWERS | GRADED A+ | VERIFIED ANSWERS | BRAND
NEW VERSION!
Question 1
In a fetus, the most oxygenated blood is found in the:
A) Aorta
B) Pulmonary artery
C) Umbilical artery
D) Umbilical vein
E) Right atrium
Correct Answer: D) Umbilical vein
Rationale: The umbilical vein carries freshly oxygenated and nutrient-rich blood from the
placenta to the fetus.
Question 2
What structure in fetal circulation allows blood to bypass the liver?
A) Foramen ovale
B) Ductus arteriosus
C) Ductus venosus
D) Umbilical artery
E) Pulmonary vein
Correct Answer: C) Ductus venosus
Rationale: The ductus venosus is the first of the three fetal shunts. It shunts a significant
portion of the oxygenated blood from the umbilical vein directly to the inferior vena cava,
bypassing the fetal hepatic circulation.
Question 3
What is a key cardiovascular change that occurs at birth?
A) The foramen ovale opens.
B) Pulmonary vascular resistance increases, and systemic vascular resistance decreases.
C) The ductus arteriosus becomes the ligamentum arteriosum.
,D) The ductus venosus remains patent for several weeks.
E) Blood flow shifts from a left-to-right to a right-to-left pattern.
Correct Answer: C) The ductus arteriosus becomes the ligamentum arteriosum.
Rationale: At birth, with the first breath and increased oxygen levels, the ductus arteriosus
begins to constrict. It functionally closes within hours to days and eventually closes
anatomically, becoming a fibrous remnant known as the ligamentum arteriosum.
Question 4
What causes the foramen ovale to close at birth?
A) A decrease in pulmonary blood flow.
B) An increase in right atrial pressure.
C) The clamping of the umbilical cord.
D) An increase in left atrial pressure that becomes higher than right atrial pressure.
E) A decrease in the infant's heart rate.
Correct Answer: D) An increase in left atrial pressure that becomes higher than right atrial
pressure.
Rationale: When the lungs expand, pulmonary vascular resistance drops, and a large volume
of blood returns from the lungs to the left atrium. This, combined with the rise in systemic
pressure, causes the left atrial pressure to exceed the right atrial pressure, which pushes the
flap of the foramen ovale closed.
Question 5
Congenital heart defects that cause an abnormal connection between the heart chambers,
leading to increased blood flow to the lungs, are classified as:
A) Defects with decreased pulmonary blood flow
B) Defects with increased pulmonary blood flow
C) Obstructive defects
D) Mixed defects
E) Cyanotic defects
,Correct Answer: B) Defects with increased pulmonary blood flow
Rationale: Defects like VSD and PDA allow blood to shunt from the higher-pressure left side of
the heart to the lower-pressure right side, sending an extra volume of oxygenated blood back
to the lungs.
Question 6
A ventricular septal defect (VSD) is an abnormal opening between the:
A) Right and left atria
B) Right and left ventricles
C) Aorta and pulmonary artery
D) Superior and inferior vena cava
E) Pulmonary veins and the left atrium
Correct Answer: B) Right and left ventricles
Rationale: A VSD is a hole in the ventricular septum, the wall that separates the two lower
chambers (ventricles) of the heart.
Question 7
The direction of the blood shunt in a VSD is typically:
A) Left-to-right
B) Right-to-left
C) Bidirectional
D) Top-to-bottom
E) From the aorta to the pulmonary artery
Correct Answer: A) Left-to-right
Rationale: Because the pressure in the left ventricle is significantly higher than in the right
ventricle, blood is shunted from the left ventricle through the VSD into the right ventricle.
Question 8
What is a common clinical manifestation of a large VSD in an infant?
A) Central cyanosis at rest
B) Signs of heart failure
, C) Bradycardia
D) Weak or absent femoral pulses
E) A continuous "machine-like" murmur
Correct Answer: B) Signs of heart failure
Rationale: The large volume of blood being shunted to the right side of the heart and then to
the lungs causes volume overload. This increased pulmonary blood flow can lead to
pulmonary edema, tachypnea, poor feeding, and other signs of congestive heart failure.
Question 9
Children with a VSD are often prescribed prophylactic antibiotics before dental procedures to
prevent:
A) Heart failure
B) Pulmonary hypertension
C) Endocarditis
D) Stroke
E) Rheumatic fever
Correct Answer: C) Endocarditis
Rationale: The turbulent blood flow through the VSD can damage the heart's lining, creating a
rough surface where bacteria introduced into the bloodstream (e.g., during a dental
procedure) can implant and cause a serious infection of the heart known as bacterial
endocarditis.
Question 10
A patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is a failure of which fetal structure to close after birth?
A) The foramen ovale
B) The ductus venosus
C) The umbilical vein
D) The ductus arteriosus
E) The umbilical artery
