Medical-Surgical Nursing Exam 2 – 350 Questions and Answers on Cardiac Disorders, Dysrhythmias, ECG Interpretation | NUR 202 Jersey College | 2025–2026 Exam

This document contains approximately 350 exam-style questions with detailed answers designed for students preparing for Medical-Surgical Nursing Exam 2 at Jersey College (2025–2026). The material focuses heavily on cardiovascular nursing concepts, including cardiac physiology, dysrhythmias, cardiac medications, hemodynamic monitoring, vascular disorders, and emergency cardiac management. The questions are organized in a structured question-and-answer format to help nursing students review key exam topics, reinforce clinical reasoning, and prepare effectively for nursing assessments and proctored exams. The study material begins with fundamental cardiovascular assessment and cardiac pathophysiology concepts, including the causes and symptoms of angina, myocardial infarction, and decreased cardiac output. For example, early questions explain that angina may be triggered by heavy meals due to blood being shunted to the gastrointestinal tract, reducing myocardial oxygen supply. The guide also reviews the classic presentation of angina, including substernal chest pain that may radiate to the neck, jaw, shoulders, or left arm and is typically relieved by rest or nitroglycerin. A large portion of the document reviews cardiac medications and nursing considerations, including nitrates, beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors, anticoagulants, diuretics, and lipid-lowering drugs. Nursing interventions and patient education are emphasized, such as proper administration of nitroglycerin (sublingual, every 5 minutes up to three doses, stored in a dark bottle and renewed every six months) and the importance of not abruptly stopping antihypertensive medications due to the risk of rebound hypertension. The document also provides detailed review content on electrolyte imbalances and their cardiovascular effects, particularly hypokalemia, which may cause muscle weakness, fatigue, constipation, and characteristic ECG findings such as inverted T waves and U waves. Additional sections discuss medications that affect potassium balance, including potassium-sparing diuretics such as spironolactone, which can lead to hyperkalemia when combined with potassium supplements. Extensive content is dedicated to cardiac diagnostics and monitoring, including echocardiography, cardiac stress testing, cardiac catheterization, and hemodynamic monitoring in critical care settings. The guide explains that an echocardiogram evaluates cardiac structure, ventricular function, and the direction of blood flow, while BNP levels greater than 100 pg/mL may suggest heart failure. Students also review how to obtain an accurate blood pressure reading and interpret cardiac output and stroke volume measurements. Another major focus of the study guide is electrocardiography (ECG) interpretation and cardiac electrical activity. The material explains the meaning of each waveform on an ECG: P wave: atrial depolarization QRS complex: ventricular depolarization T wave: ventricular repolarization ST segment changes: indicators of ischemia or myocardial infarction Students also review cardiac conduction physiology, including the sinoatrial (SA) node, which normally initiates impulses at 60–100 beats per minute, and the mechanisms of depolarization and repolarization in cardiac muscle. The guide contains comprehensive explanations of cardiac dysrhythmias, including sinus bradycardia, sinus tachycardia, atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, junctional rhythms, premature ventricular complexes (PVCs), ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, and atrioventricular (AV) blocks. For example, atrial fibrillation is described as the most common sustained dysrhythmia and is associated with an increased risk of stroke, heart failure, and embolic complications. The document also covers emergency cardiac interventions, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), defibrillation, cardioversion, and pharmacologic management of arrhythmias. It explains that pulseless ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation require immediate defibrillation, while atropine may be used to treat symptomatic bradycardia. Additional topics include peripheral vascular disease, deep vein thrombosis, venous insufficiency, and arterial insufficiency, as well as diagnostic tools such as the ankle-brachial index used to evaluate arterial blood flow. The document also discusses Virchow’s triad—venous stasis, endothelial injury, and hypercoagulability—as key risk factors for venous thromboembolism. The material aligns closely with commonly used nursing textbooks such as “Lewis’s Medical-Surgical Nursing: Assessment and Management of Clinical Problems” by Harding, Kwong, Roberts, Hagler, and Reinisch, as well as “Brunner & Suddarth’s Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing.” These textbooks are widely used in nursing programs and provide foundational knowledge for medical-surgical nursing courses. This document may be particularly useful for students enrolled in courses such as: Medical-Surgical Nursing II Adult Health Nursing Cardiovascular Nursing Clinical Nursing Practice Nursing Pharmacology and Pathophysiology It is especially relevant for students in programs such as: Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Practical Nursing (PN/LPN) programs NCLEX-RN preparation courses Because it compiles clinical concepts, pharmacology, cardiac diagnostics, and ECG interpretation into a structured Q&A format, this document serves as a comprehensive cardiovascular nursing exam preparation resource for medical-surgical nursing students preparing for course exams, clinical evaluations, and NCLEX-style assessments. 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