A home blood pressure log helps the nurse and provider judge how well hypertension treatment is working.
Correct Answer
True
True. Readings recorded at home over time show trends that a single clinic reading cannot, and they help guide changes in lifestyle or medication.
Category: Hypertension
Question 2
A single elevated blood pressure reading at one clinic visit is enough to diagnose hypertension.
Correct Answer
False
False. Hypertension is diagnosed only after elevated readings at separate visits, because blood pressure rises briefly with stress, exertion or anxiety.
Category: Hypertension
Question 3
Anxiety in a clinical setting can raise a patient's blood pressure reading above the usual value.
Correct Answer
True
True. This white coat effect is why the nurse lets an anxious patient rest before measuring and may compare clinic readings with home readings.
Category: Hypertension
Question 4
Smoking or drinking caffeine shortly before a blood pressure measurement can raise the reading.
Correct Answer
True
True. Nicotine and caffeine both raise blood pressure for a short time, so the patient avoids them, along with eating and exercise, before the measurement to get a reading that reflects the usual value.
Category: Hypertension
Question 5
Lifestyle changes play little role in managing hypertension once a medication has been started.
Correct Answer
False
False. Lifestyle changes such as reducing sodium, staying active, limiting alcohol and quitting smoking remain first-line and continue alongside medication.
Category: Hypertension
Question 6
First-degree AV block is often found by chance in a patient who has no symptoms.
Correct Answer
True
True. First-degree block only lengthens the PR interval, so most patients are asymptomatic and are monitored for any progression.
Category: Dysrhythmias
Question 7
Patients scheduled for elective cardioversion may eat a full meal just before the procedure.
Correct Answer
False
False. The patient is kept NPO because the procedure is done under sedation, and an empty stomach lowers the risk of aspiration.
Category: Dysrhythmias
Question 8
After a pacemaker is implanted, the patient limits raising the arm on the insertion side for a period so the leads stay in place.
Correct Answer
True
True. Early on, the leads are not yet anchored by scar tissue, so restricting arm movement on that side helps prevent lead dislodgement.
Category: Dysrhythmias
Question 9
Ventricular dysrhythmias are generally less dangerous than atrial dysrhythmias.
Correct Answer
False
False. Ventricular dysrhythmias are the most serious because they can stop effective pumping and lead to cardiac arrest, so they require prompt, emergent intervention.
Category: Dysrhythmias
Question 10
Changes in the ventricles caused by heart failure can make the heart more prone to fast dysrhythmias.
Correct Answer
True
True. Ventricular remodeling makes cardiac cells more excitable, which raises the risk of tachycardic dysrhythmias in heart failure.
Category: Heart Failure
Question 11
Vaccination against influenza and pneumococcal disease is part of teaching for patients with heart failure.
Correct Answer
True
True. Respiratory infections strain the heart and can trigger an exacerbation, so recommended immunizations help reduce flares of heart failure.
Category: Heart Failure
Question 12
Shiny, hairless skin on the lower legs points to venous insufficiency rather than arterial disease.
Correct Answer
False
False. Shiny, hairless skin, often cool and pale with weak pulses, results from poor arterial perfusion, while venous insufficiency brings edema, varicose veins and brownish skin changes near the ankles.
Category: Peripheral Vascular Disease
Question 13
People with diabetes may have a myocardial infarction with little or no chest pain.
Correct Answer
True
True. Nerve damage from diabetes can blunt the pain of ischemia, so these patients may present with vague symptoms such as fatigue, dyspnea or nausea.
Category: Myocardial Infarction
Question 14
Bed rest and a quiet environment after an acute myocardial infarction increase the heart's oxygen demand.
Correct Answer
False
False. Rest and a calm setting lower the heart's workload and oxygen demand, which helps limit damage while blood flow is restored.
Category: Myocardial Infarction
Question 15
A delay in restoring blood flow during a myocardial infarction increases the amount of heart muscle that dies.
Correct Answer
True
True. Heart muscle cells are very sensitive to loss of perfusion, which is the idea behind the phrase that time is muscle and the push for rapid reperfusion.
Category: Myocardial Infarction
Question 16
Cardiac rehabilitation is offered only to patients who have had bypass surgery.
Correct Answer
False
False. Patients recovering from a myocardial infarction also join cardiac rehabilitation, a supervised program that gradually increases activity and supports lifestyle change.
Category: Myocardial Infarction
Question 17
Small abdominal aortic aneurysms usually cause severe pain that leads to their discovery.
Correct Answer
False
False. Small aneurysms are often silent and found by chance on imaging, which is why known aneurysms are monitored over time for growth.
Category: Aortic and Carotid Disease
Question 18
Elevating the legs above heart level relieves the ischemic leg pain of peripheral arterial disease.
Correct Answer
False
False. Elevation reduces arterial flow to the legs and worsens ischemic pain; elevation is used for venous problems, not arterial ones.
Category: Peripheral Vascular Disease
Question 19
Arterial ulcers usually have little drainage and form on the toes, heels or other bony prominences.
Correct Answer
True
True. Arterial ulcers are typically round with minimal drainage and occur where blood supply is poorest, while venous ulcers form near the ankle and are shallow and irregular.
Category: Peripheral Vascular Disease
Question 20
Leg pain from venous insufficiency typically worsens when the legs are elevated.
Correct Answer
False
False. Venous aching worsens with prolonged standing and eases with rest and elevation, which help blood return to the heart.
Category: Peripheral Vascular Disease