ATI RN
Cardiovascular System Exam Questions
1. Which type of heart disease involves the stiffening of the heart muscle, reducing its ability to relax and fill with blood?
- A. Restrictive cardiomyopathy
- B. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
- C. Dilated cardiomyopathy
- D. Ventricular hypertrophy
Correct answer: A
Rationale: The correct answer is A, restrictive cardiomyopathy. This condition specifically involves the stiffening of the heart muscle, leading to a reduced ability to relax and fill with blood between beats. Choice B, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, is characterized by abnormal thickening of the heart muscle, not stiffening. Choice C, dilated cardiomyopathy, involves the enlargement and weakening of the heart chambers, not stiffening. Choice D, ventricular hypertrophy, refers to the thickening of the walls of the heart's pumping chambers but does not specifically involve the stiffening that is characteristic of restrictive cardiomyopathy.
2. What is the condition where the body's immune system attacks its tissues, causing inflammation and damage?
- A. Autoimmune disease
- B. Infectious disease
- C. Allergic reaction
- D. Degenerative disease
Correct answer: A
Rationale: The correct answer is A: Autoimmune disease. Autoimmune diseases occur when the body's immune system mistakenly attacks its own tissues, leading to inflammation and damage. This is different from infectious diseases (choice B), which are caused by pathogenic microorganisms, allergic reactions (choice C), which involve an exaggerated response of the immune system to harmless substances, and degenerative diseases (choice D), which are characterized by progressive deterioration of tissue or organs due to various factors.
3. What is a condition where the right side of the heart fails due to increased pressure in the pulmonary arteries, often caused by chronic lung disease?
- A. Cor pulmonale
- B. Heart failure
- C. Pulmonary embolism
- D. Myocarditis
Correct answer: A
Rationale: Cor pulmonale is the correct answer. It is a condition where the right side of the heart fails due to increased pressure in the pulmonary arteries, often caused by chronic lung disease such as COPD. Pulmonary embolism (choice C) is a blockage in one of the pulmonary arteries in your lungs. Myocarditis (choice D) is inflammation of the heart muscle. While heart failure (choice B) is a broad term that can involve the failure of either the right or left side of the heart.
4. The nurse is caring for a client on warfarin with an INR of 1.8. What is the most appropriate action?
- A. Increase the dose of warfarin.
- B. Administer vitamin K.
- C. Hold the warfarin and notify the healthcare provider.
- D. Monitor the client’s INR closely.
Correct answer: D
Rationale: An INR of 1.8 is below the therapeutic range for a client on warfarin, indicating the need for monitoring closely to ensure that the INR levels reach the desired therapeutic range. Increasing the dose of warfarin (Choice A) without proper monitoring may lead to an increased risk of bleeding. Administering vitamin K (Choice B) is not typically recommended unless the client is experiencing major bleeding or requires rapid reversal of warfarin's effects. Holding the warfarin and notifying the healthcare provider (Choice C) may be necessary in certain situations, but the immediate action in this case should be to monitor the client's INR closely to guide further management.
5. This term refers to a change in the inotropic state of the muscle without a change in myocardial fiber length.
- A. Contractility
- B. Excitability
- C. Refractoriness
- D. Automaticity
Correct answer: A
Rationale: The correct answer is A: Contractility. Contractility specifically refers to the change in the force of contraction of the heart muscle without changing its length. In this scenario, the focus is on the change in the inotropic state of the muscle, which directly relates to contractility. Choice B, Excitability, refers to the ability of a cell to respond to a stimulus, not specifically related to changes in contractile force. Choice C, Refractoriness, pertains to the period during which a cell is unresponsive to a new stimulus. Choice D, Automaticity, refers to the ability of cardiac cells to spontaneously generate electrical impulses.
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