After returning from cardiac catheterization, the nurse monitors the childs vital signs. The heart rate should be counted for how many seconds?
- A. 15
- B. 30
- C. 60
- D. 120
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Counting the heart rate for 60 seconds ensures accurate detection of arrhythmias or bradycardia. Shorter durations (15 or 30 seconds) are insufficient, and 120 seconds is unnecessarily long for routine assessment.
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A cardiac defect that allows blood to shunt from the (high pressure) left side of the heart to the (lower pressure) right side can result in which condition?
- A. Cyanosis
- B. Heart failure
- C. Decreased pulmonary blood flow
- D. Bounding pulses in upper extremities
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Left-to-right shunting increases pulmonary blood flow, overloading the right heart and leading to heart failure. Cyanosis and decreased pulmonary flow occur with right-to-left shunts, and bounding pulses are specific to coarctation of the aorta.
A 2-year-old child is receiving digoxin (Lanoxin). The nurse should notify the practitioner and withhold the medication if the apical pulse is less than which rate?
- A. 60 beats/min
- B. 90 beats/min
- C. 100 beats/min
- D. 120 beats/min
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: For infants and young children, digoxin is withheld if the 1-minute apical pulse is below 90 beats/min to prevent toxicity. A rate of 60 is the adult threshold, and 100-120 beats/min are acceptable for administration.
The parents of a young child with heart failure (HF) tell the nurse that they are nervous about giving digoxin. The nurses response should be based on which knowledge?
- A. It is a safe, frequently used drug.
- B. Parents lack the expertise necessary to administer digoxin.
- C. It is difficult to either overmedicate or undermedicate with digoxin.
- D. Parents need to learn specific, important guidelines for administration of digoxin.
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Digoxin?s narrow therapeutic range requires parents to learn specific guidelines for safe administration and monitoring to prevent toxicity. It?s not inherently safe, parents can be taught, and over- or undermedication is a risk without proper guidance.
What term is defined as the volume of blood ejected by the heart in 1 minute?
- A. Afterload
- B. Cardiac cycle
- C. Stroke volume
- D. Cardiac output
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Cardiac output is the volume of blood ejected by the heart per minute, calculated as heart rate times stroke volume. Afterload is resistance to ventricular ejection, cardiac cycle is the sequence of atrial and ventricular contraction, and stroke volume is the blood ejected per contraction.
What cardiovascular defect results in obstruction to blood flow?
- A. Aortic stenosis
- B. Tricuspid atresia
- C. Atrial septal defect
- D. Transposition of the great arteries
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Aortic stenosis narrows the aortic valve, obstructing blood flow from the left ventricle, causing hypertrophy and congestion. Tricuspid atresia reduces pulmonary flow, atrial septal defect increases it, and transposition involves mixed flow, not obstruction.
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