ACLS Certification - Official Site | Powered by CPR.com
ACLS Certification - Official Site | Powered by CPR.com Contact Us | 1-800-448-0734 |e-Verify | Log in |

Assessment Flashcard 2

Click the hand icon in the lower right corner to see the answer.
Question

A 54-year-old patient with type 1 diabetes mellitus is brought to the emergency department for loss of consciousness. Vital signs are as follows: HR = 100 bpm, BP = 100/80 mm Hg, RR = 12/min, T = 36.8°C, oxygen saturation = 100%. Glucometer reading is 45 mg/dL. The patient cannot be aroused. What is your next course of action?

 

a. Perform neurologic screening
b. Order a CT scan of the head
c. Treat hypoglycemia
d. Give fibrinolytic therapy

Answer

c. Treat hypoglycemia

Question

A 55-year-old man is found down and unresponsive to verbal commands when you tap on both of his shoulders. His respiratory rate is 16 breaths/minute, and his heart rate is 65 bpm. What should you do?

 

a. Initiate rescue breathing
b. Administer naloxone
c. Start chest compressions and attach AED pads
d. Monitor until emergency responders arrive

Answer

d. Monitor until emergency responders arrive

Question

A 59-year-old inpatient is post-op day 3 from an open reduction internal fixation of a compound femur fracture. He reports pleuritic chest pain and difficulty breathing. You record his vital signs and note a sudden drop in blood pressure. You also notice that his neck veins are distended. After 5 minutes, he loses consciousness and goes into cardiac arrest. Out of the following causes, which is your primary consideration?

 

a. Pulmonary embolism
b. Cardiac tamponade
c. Atelectasis
d. Tension pneumothorax

Answer

a. Pulmonary embolism

Question

A 60-year-old man is brought to the emergency department unresponsive. He has the following vital signs: HR = 100 bpm, BP = 100/80 mm Hg, RR = 12/min, T = 36.8°C, oxygen saturation = 100%. Blood sugar level = 30 mg/dL. A 12-lead ECG records the following tracing:

What is the treatment of choice for this patient?

 

a. D50 glucose
b. Nicardipine
c. Recombinant tissue plasminogen activator
d. Nitroprusside

Answer

a. D50 glucose

Question

A 71-year-old woman undergoes hip replacement surgery. On the third hospital day, she suddenly develops chest pain and difficulty breathing. A ventilation/perfusion scan reveals two segmental mismatched defects in the right middle lobe. After the test, the patient goes into cardiac arrest and expires. What is the likely cause of the patient’s demise?

 

a. Myocardial infarction
b. Pulmonary thrombosis
c. Hypovolemic shock
d. Tension pneumothorax

Answer

b. Pulmonary thrombosis

Question

A cardiac arrest patient has achieved a return of spontaneous circulation after 25 minutes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. He is presently comatose. The neurologist wants to assess the patient’s prognosis and orders a CT scan of the brain. If the CT scan taken within 2 hours after cardiac arrest shows a marked reduction of the gray-white ratio, what can the neurosurgeon conclude of this finding?

 

a. It is a normal finding.
b. It is not significant, and the CT must be repeated after 6 hours.
c. It is an indication of good survivability to hospital discharge.
d. It predicts a poor neurologic outcome.

 

Answer

d. It predicts a poor neurologic outcome.

Question

A comatose patient was revived after an unwitnessed cardiac arrest. After reviewing the patient’s brain CT scan, the neurosurgeon concludes that this patient’s neurologic outcome is poor. The patient has a gray-white ratio of 0.5 on a CT scan of the brain. What can you conclude in this finding?

 

a. A normal GWR
b. Parkinson’s disease
c. Brain tumor
d. Brain edema

Answer

d. Brain edema

Question

A neurologist is projecting the likely outcome of a 72-year-old man that has been revived 15 minutes after cardiac arrest. Which of the following are clinical findings or tools that can help to conclude that this patient has a good prognosis?

 

a. Dilated pupils in response to light
b. Status myoclonus during the first 120 hours
c. Electroencephalogram reactivity to external stimuli
d. High blood levels of neuron-specific enolase

Answer

a. Dilated pupils in response to light

Question

A patient has achieved a return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) after 15 minutes of ACLS. She is comatose and is admitted to the ICU with targeted temperature management. When is the most appropriate time to perform prognosticating tests in this situation?

 

a. 24 hours after ROSC
b. 72 hours after ROSC
c. 72 hours after the patient returns to normal temperature
d. 24 hours after the patient returns to normal temperature

 

Answer

c. 72 hours after the patient returns to normal temperature

Question

A patient in cardiac arrest is successfully intubated in the ED. While performing 2 cycles of CPR, waveform capnography measures pressures at 9 mm Hg. What is your next course of action?

 

a. Improve the quality of CPR.
b. Give epinephrine via the endotracheal route.
c. Insert an IV and infuse packed RBCs properly typed and cross-matched.
d. Discontinue CPR and call the time of death.

 

Answer

a. Improve the quality of CPR.

More Flashcards