The following clients are in need of exercise electrocardiography. Which client would the nurse indicate as most appropriate for a drug-induced stress test?
- A. A 48-year-old policemen with history of knee replacement 4 years ago
- B. A 68-year-old housewife with history of osteoporosis
- C. A 72-year-old retired janitor obtaining a cardiac baseline
- D. A 55-year-old recovering from a fall and broken femur
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: An exercise electrocardiography or stress test monitors the electrical activity of the heart while the client walks on a treadmill. If a client has a sedentary lifestyle or physical disability, cardiac medications may be administered to stress the heart similar to activity. Even though the client is middle aged at 55 years old, the client is recovering from a broken femur thus would be unable to have vigorous exercise. None of the other clients have a history which precludes them from exercise electrocardiography.
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The nurse is caring for a client with a damaged tricuspid valve. The nurse knows that the tricuspid valve is held in place by which of the following?
- A. Chordae tendineae
- B. Atrioventricular tendons
- C. Semilunar tendineae
- D. Papillary tendons
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Attached to the mitral and tricuspid valves are cordlike structures known as chordae tendineae, which in turn attach to papillary muscles, two major muscular projections from the ventricles. Neither atrioventricular tendons, semilunar tendineae, nor papillary tendons hold the tricuspid valve in place.
When caring for a client with dysfunction in the conduction system, at which period would the nurse note that cells are resistant to stimulation?
- A. During polarization
- B. During depolarization
- C. During repolarization
- D. During the refractory period
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The refractory period is the time when cells are resistant to electrical stimulation. Repolarization is when the ions realign themselves to wait for an electrical signal. Depolarization occurs during muscle contraction when positive ions move inside the myocardial cell membrane and negative ions move outside. Before an impulse is generated, the cells are in a polarized state.
The nurse is caring for an elderly client with left-sided heart failure. When auscultating lung sounds, which adventitious sound is expected?
- A. Whistling
- B. Rhonchi
- C. Crackles
- D. Coarseness
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: When the left side of the heart is pumping inefficiently, blood backs up into the pulmonary veins and lung tissue. Auscultation reveals a crackling sound. Wheezes and gurgles may also be heard.
A client needs additional information about a heart condition. The client asks the nurse 'What is considered the pacemaker of the heart?'
- A. The AV node
- B. The bundle of HIS
- C. The Purkinje fibers
- D. The SA node
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The SA node is called the pacemaker of the heart because it initiates the electrical impulses that cause the atria and ventricles to contract. Normally, it produces between 60 and 100 impulses per minute; the average is approximately 72 impulses per minute.
The nurse is assessing a client who has dyspnea and considering the process of gas exchange. Which structural characteristic of capillaries best enables gas exchange at the cellular level?
- A. Capillaries are one cell-layer thick.
- B. Capillaries form a complex network
- C. Capillaries transport blood back to the heart.
- D. Capillaries are elastic structures.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Capillaries are one cell-layer thick and in direct contact with the cells of all tissues. This allows ease of gas exchange. Capillaries do form a complex network; however, it is the one cell structure that facilitates gas exchange. Venules and veins transport blood back to the heart. Arteries are elastic.
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