Certified Postanesthesia Nurse CPAN Exam
Questions
1. ____ ____ is how easily the elastic forces in the lung accept a volume of air
a) elastic recoil
b) pulmonary compliance
c) tidal volume - ------------ANS: B- Pulmonary Compliance
2. A 35-year-old patient arrives in the Phase I PACU crying and repeatedly asks,
"Can't my mother come in here with me?" The perianesthesia nurse:
A. informs the patient that visitation is prohibited in the PACU.
B. reassures the patient and administers an analgesic.
C. allows a brief visit at a time appropriate for patient, visitors, and staff.
D. sedates the patient secondary to postanesthetic confusion. - ------------ANS: C-
allows a brief visit at a time appropriate for patient, visitors, staff
3. A geriatric patient's advanced age puts them at an increased risk for
post-operative:
A. anorexia.
B. hypothermia.
C. nausea.
D. pain. - ------------ANS: B- hypothermia
4. A PACU education/research committee should have three commitments, which
must include all of the following except
a) development of innovative thinking
b) freedom of inquiry
,c) individual progress of each nurse
d) excellence in practice - ------------ANS: C- individual progress of each nurse
5. A patient has been treated for Malignant Hyperthermia with cooling agents.
Cooling interventions should be discontinued when the patient has reached what
temperature?
A. 37.5 C
B. 38 C
C. 38.1 C - ------------ANS: B- 38 C
6. A patient in the PACU following hip arthroplasty complains of numbness to toes of
affected extremity. The patient has most likely sustained an injury to the:
A. peroneal nerve.
B. femoral artery.
C. Achilles tendon.
D. sciatic nerve. - ------------ANS: A- peroneal nerve
7. A patient with streptococcal group A pharyngitis arrives in Phase I PACU. The
perianesthesia nurse plans that the nurse to patient ratio should be:
A. two nurses to one patient.
B. one nurse to two patients.
C. one nurse to one patient.
D. one nurse to three patients. - ------------ANS: C- one nurse to one patient
8. A perianesthesia nurse is providing discharge instructions to a patient who asks
questions about the phenazopyridine prescription. The nurse explains that it:
A. needs to be taken on an empty stomach.
,B. provides relief from urgency and burning sensation.
C. helps minimize bleeding and formation of blood clots.
D. treats bacteria present in the urinary tract. - ------------ANS: B- provides relief from
urgency and burning sensation
9. A post-op patient awaiting transport to a surgical floor is awake and responds
appropriately to commands. The perioperative nurse instructs the patient to flex and
extend his/ her lower extremities; the purpose of this is to:
A. ensure that the patient follows commands.
B. prevent the complication of venous stasis.
C. accelerate emergence from anesthesia.
D. assess if the patient is ready for discharge. - ------------ANS: B- prevent the
complication of venous stasis
10. A staff nurse denied a merit increase expresses vigorous support for
management and its policies instead of showing anger. The nurse's behavior is
characterized as:
A. identification.
B. reaction formation.
C. sublimation.
D. rationalization. - ------------ANS: B- reaction formation
11. A standard of practice for post anesthesia nursing is established by which
acceptable levels of nursing action?
a) Promoting independent nursing judgement
b) Specifying the nursing goal while defining appropriate nursing measures
c) Identifying the nursing actions that meet JCAHO criteria
, d) Prescribing the nursing intervention relative to standing orders - ------------ANS: B-
specifying the nurse goal while defining appropriate nursing measures
12. During emergence from general anesthesia, a patient exhibits rapidly increasing
symptoms of asthma. Vital signs are: BP = 190/100, HR = 144, R = 36, and SaO2 =
86%. The perianesthesia nurse anticipates giving which of the following medications
initially?
A. Dexamethasone
B. Nebulized epinephrine
C. Nebulized albuterol
D. Isoproterenol - ------------ANS: C- nebulized albuterol
13. Following a hernia repair, a 3-month-old is admitted to the PACU positioned on
his side with a pacifier in his mouth. The airway becomes obstructed by the tongue.
The obstruction can be alleviated by:
A. removing the pacifier.
B. pinching the cheeks.
C. turning him on his back.
D. jaw thrust or chin lift - ------------ANS: D- jaw thrust or chin lift
14. If a patient is hypothermic in phase I recovery then a serial temperature should
be taken every ____ minutes?
A. 5
B. 10
C. 15
D. 30 - ------------ANS: C- 15
Questions
1. ____ ____ is how easily the elastic forces in the lung accept a volume of air
a) elastic recoil
b) pulmonary compliance
c) tidal volume - ------------ANS: B- Pulmonary Compliance
2. A 35-year-old patient arrives in the Phase I PACU crying and repeatedly asks,
"Can't my mother come in here with me?" The perianesthesia nurse:
A. informs the patient that visitation is prohibited in the PACU.
B. reassures the patient and administers an analgesic.
C. allows a brief visit at a time appropriate for patient, visitors, and staff.
D. sedates the patient secondary to postanesthetic confusion. - ------------ANS: C-
allows a brief visit at a time appropriate for patient, visitors, staff
3. A geriatric patient's advanced age puts them at an increased risk for
post-operative:
A. anorexia.
B. hypothermia.
C. nausea.
D. pain. - ------------ANS: B- hypothermia
4. A PACU education/research committee should have three commitments, which
must include all of the following except
a) development of innovative thinking
b) freedom of inquiry
,c) individual progress of each nurse
d) excellence in practice - ------------ANS: C- individual progress of each nurse
5. A patient has been treated for Malignant Hyperthermia with cooling agents.
Cooling interventions should be discontinued when the patient has reached what
temperature?
A. 37.5 C
B. 38 C
C. 38.1 C - ------------ANS: B- 38 C
6. A patient in the PACU following hip arthroplasty complains of numbness to toes of
affected extremity. The patient has most likely sustained an injury to the:
A. peroneal nerve.
B. femoral artery.
C. Achilles tendon.
D. sciatic nerve. - ------------ANS: A- peroneal nerve
7. A patient with streptococcal group A pharyngitis arrives in Phase I PACU. The
perianesthesia nurse plans that the nurse to patient ratio should be:
A. two nurses to one patient.
B. one nurse to two patients.
C. one nurse to one patient.
D. one nurse to three patients. - ------------ANS: C- one nurse to one patient
8. A perianesthesia nurse is providing discharge instructions to a patient who asks
questions about the phenazopyridine prescription. The nurse explains that it:
A. needs to be taken on an empty stomach.
,B. provides relief from urgency and burning sensation.
C. helps minimize bleeding and formation of blood clots.
D. treats bacteria present in the urinary tract. - ------------ANS: B- provides relief from
urgency and burning sensation
9. A post-op patient awaiting transport to a surgical floor is awake and responds
appropriately to commands. The perioperative nurse instructs the patient to flex and
extend his/ her lower extremities; the purpose of this is to:
A. ensure that the patient follows commands.
B. prevent the complication of venous stasis.
C. accelerate emergence from anesthesia.
D. assess if the patient is ready for discharge. - ------------ANS: B- prevent the
complication of venous stasis
10. A staff nurse denied a merit increase expresses vigorous support for
management and its policies instead of showing anger. The nurse's behavior is
characterized as:
A. identification.
B. reaction formation.
C. sublimation.
D. rationalization. - ------------ANS: B- reaction formation
11. A standard of practice for post anesthesia nursing is established by which
acceptable levels of nursing action?
a) Promoting independent nursing judgement
b) Specifying the nursing goal while defining appropriate nursing measures
c) Identifying the nursing actions that meet JCAHO criteria
, d) Prescribing the nursing intervention relative to standing orders - ------------ANS: B-
specifying the nurse goal while defining appropriate nursing measures
12. During emergence from general anesthesia, a patient exhibits rapidly increasing
symptoms of asthma. Vital signs are: BP = 190/100, HR = 144, R = 36, and SaO2 =
86%. The perianesthesia nurse anticipates giving which of the following medications
initially?
A. Dexamethasone
B. Nebulized epinephrine
C. Nebulized albuterol
D. Isoproterenol - ------------ANS: C- nebulized albuterol
13. Following a hernia repair, a 3-month-old is admitted to the PACU positioned on
his side with a pacifier in his mouth. The airway becomes obstructed by the tongue.
The obstruction can be alleviated by:
A. removing the pacifier.
B. pinching the cheeks.
C. turning him on his back.
D. jaw thrust or chin lift - ------------ANS: D- jaw thrust or chin lift
14. If a patient is hypothermic in phase I recovery then a serial temperature should
be taken every ____ minutes?
A. 5
B. 10
C. 15
D. 30 - ------------ANS: C- 15
