Midterm Exam Questions and Detailed

Nurs-6521n Advanced Pharmacology Midterm Exam Questions and Detailed Answers

• A nurse is caring for a postsurgical patient who has small

tortuous veins and had a difficult IV insertion. The patient is now receiving IV medications on a regular basis. What is the best nursing intervention to minimize the adverse effects of this drug therapy?

• Monitor the patient's bleeding time
• Check the patient's blood glucose levels
• Record baseline vital signs
• Monitor the IV site for redness, swelling, or pain

• A patient is in the clinic after 6 weeks of taking

riluzole (Rilutek) for a recent diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The nurse will prioritize assessment for which of the following?

• Weight gain
• Constipation
• Increased energy
• Dizziness

• Which of the following patients demonstrates 1 / 4

the clearest indication for treatment with prednisone?

• A 66-year-old woman whose history of smoking has

culminated in a diagnosis of emphysema

• A 70-year-old man whose rheumatoid arthritis has not

responded to OTC pain relievers

• A 12-year-old boy whose long-standing fatigue and

malaise have been attributed to leukemia

• A 50-year-old woman who is being treated for

hypertension with a diuretic and an ACE inhibitor

• A nurse has been administering a drug to a patient

intramuscularly (IM). The physician discontinued the IM dose and wrote an order for the drug to be given orally.The nurse notices that the oral dosage is considerably higher than the parenteral dose and understands that this is due to

• passive diffusion.
• active transport.
• glomerular filtration.
• first-pass effect.

• A cardiac care nurse is monitoring a patient who is

receiving lidocaine (Xylocaine) per IV infusion pump for an acute ventricular arrhythmia associated with an acute MI. Which of the following patient manifestations would cause the nurse to notify the physician immediately? 2 / 4

• Confusion
• Headache
• Nausea
• Leg cramps

• A nurse is caring for a patient who is admitted into

the cardiac care unit with acute, decompensated heart failure. Nesiritide (Natrecor) has been ordered. When preparing for administration of the drug, the nurse will

• add the reconstituted vial of medication to a 1,000 mL IV

bag.

• shake the vial vigorously to mix the medication for

reconstitution.

• administer the initial IV bolus over approximately 60

seconds.

• use the reconstituted solution within a 36-hour period.

• A nurse is discussing with a patient the efficacy of a

drug that his physician has suggested he begin taking. Efficacy of a drug means which of the following?

• The amount of the drug that must be given to produce a

particular response

• How well a drug produces its desired effect
• A drug's strength of attraction for a receptor site
• A drug's ability to stimulate its receptor
• / 4

• A nurse is conducting a medication resolution of a new

resident of a care facility and notes that the woman has been taking neostigmine. The nurse should recognize that the woman may have a history of what problem?

• Alzheimer disease
• Parkinson disease
• Myasthenia gravis
• Multiple sclerosis

• A 77-year-old man's chronic heart failure is being treated

with a regimen of quinapril (Accupril) and furosemide (Lasix). Which of the following assessment findings would suggest that the loop diuretic is contributing to a therapeutic effect?

• The man's glomerular filtration rate and creatinine levels are

within reference ranges.

• The man's heart rate is between 60 and 70 beats per minute

with a regular rhythm.

• The man's potassium and sodium levels remain with

reference ranges.

• The man's chest sounds are clear and his ankle edema is

lessened.

• A nurse explains to a patient that nitroglycerin patches

should be applied in the morning and removed in the evening. This medication schedule reduces the potential

• / 4