Chapter 12

Question 1

What part of the body maintains a balance between heat production and heat loss, regulating
body temperature?
a. Thymus
b. Thyroid
c. Hypothalamus
d. Adrenal glands

Answer 1

c. Hypothalamus

Question 2

What type of body temperature remains relatively constant?
a. Surface
b. Rectal
c. Oral
d. Core

Answer 2

d. Core

Question 3

The nurse uses cooling techniques to keep the body temperature below 105°F (40.6°C).
What can result from an elevated temperature?
a. Excessive thirst
b. Excessive perspiration
c. Damage to body cells
d. Increased heart rate

Answer 3

c. Damage to body cells

Question 4

The emergency department nurse quickly assesses the temperature of an unconscious patient
who has been outside all night in below-freezing temperatures. What temperature is the
nurse aware of that can lead to death?
a. 95.2°F (35.1°C)
b. 93.0°F (33.8°C)
c. 93.2°F (34°C)
d. 90.8°F (32.6°C)

Answer 4

c. 93.2°F (34°C)

Question 5

What is the term for a fever that rises and falls but does not return to normal until the patient
is well?
a. Constant
b. Intermittent
c. Remittent
d. Elevated

Answer 5

c. Remittent

Question 6

How should the nurse position the ear pinna when using the tympanic thermometer on a
child?
a. Upward and back
b. Parallel
c. Downward and back
d. Upward and forward

Answer 6

c. Downward and back

Question 7

How should the nurse position the earpieces on a stethoscope to ensure optimum reception?
a. Backward
b. Parallel to the ears
c. Toward the face
d. Downward

Answer 7

c. Toward the face

Question 8

What does the nurse use the diaphragm of the stethoscope to best assess?
a. Carotid sounds
b. Lung sounds
c. Vascular sounds
d. Low-pitched sounds

Answer 8

b. Lung sounds

Question 9

What is the pulse—the expansion and contraction of an artery— produced by?
a. Contraction of the right atrium
b. Contraction of the right ventricle
c. Contraction of the left atrium
d. Contraction of the left ventricle

Answer 9

d. Contraction of the left ventricle

Question 10

When assessing vital signs on a 40-year-old male, the nurse identifies a pulse rate of 120
beats/min. What is this pulse interpreted as by the nurse?
a. Normal
b. Bradycardic
c. Arrhythmic
d. Tachycardic

Answer 10

d. Tachycardic

Question 11

The patient’s pulse is below 60 beats/min. The nurse is aware that the patient is not
receiving digoxin. What does the nurse suspect is causing the bradycardia?
a. Low exercise tolerance
b. Unrelieved severe pain
c. Excessive bed rest
d. A prone position

Answer 11

b. Unrelieved severe pain

Question 12

What site should be selected if a peripheral pulse needs to be assessed quickly?
a. Radial pulse
b. Brachial pulse
c. Carotid pulse
d. Pedal pulse

Answer 12

c. Carotid pulse

Question 13

What is the term for the exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen that takes place at the
alveolar level?
a. Tachypnea
b. Internal respiration
c. External respiration
d. Bradypnea

Answer 13

b. Internal respiration

Question 14

A patient is suspected of having a cardiac arrhythmia. The nurse is concerned with the
findings of an apical rate of 88 and a radial rate of 80. What is the term for the difference
between these two rates?
a. Pulse pressure
b. Unequal pulses
c. Pulse deficit
d. Tachycardia

Answer 14

c. Pulse deficit

Question 15

The nurse is alarmed when a patient with a severe head injury of the occipital lobe has a
respiratory rate of 10 breaths/min. Where might this finding indicate that there is aninjury?
a. Cerebellum
b. Medulla oblongata
c. Cortex
d. Cerebrum

Answer 15

b. Medulla oblongata

Question 16

The nurse assesses respirations of a patient demonstrating pursed-lip breathing, flared
nostrils, and retractions. How will the nurse describe these respirations?
a. Tachypnea
b. Stertorous
c. Dyspnea
d. Cheyne-Stokes

Answer 16

c. Dyspnea

Question 17

A nurse assesses a neonate’s temperature by using a temporal artery scanner. What
intervention should the nurse implement if the neonate’s temperature is 96°F(35.5°C)?
a. Record the findings.
b. Notify the health care provider.
c. Check the axillary temperature.
d. Check the tympanic temperature.

Answer 17

a. Record the findings.

Question 18

A nurse assesses a neonate’s temperature by using a temporal artery scanner. What
intervention should the nurse implement if the neonate’s temperature is 99.5°F(37.5°C)?
a. Record the findings.
b. Notify the health care provider.
c. Check the axillary temperature.
d. Check the tympanic temperature.

Answer 18

a. Record the findings.

Question 19

A nurse assesses a patient’s dorsalis pedis pulse. The pulse is difficult to feel and not
palpable when only slight pressure is applied. How should the nurse document thisfinding?
a. Weak pulse
b. Normal pulse
c. Thready pulse
d. Bounding pulse

Answer 19

c. Thready pulse

Question 20

A nurse assesses a patient’s dorsalis pedis pulse. The pulse is not palpable when light
pressure is applied. How should the nurse document this finding?
a. Weak pulse
b. Normal pulse
c. Thready pulse
d. Bounding pulse

Answer 20

a. Weak pulse

Question 21

A nurse assesses a patient’s dorsalis pedis pulse. The pulse is easily felt but not palpable
when moderate pressure is applied. How should the nurse document thisfinding?
a. Weak pulse
b. Normal pulse
c. Thready pulse
d. Bounding pulse

Answer 21

b. Normal pulse

Question 22

A nurse assesses a patient’s dorsalis pedis pulse. The pulse feels full and springlike even
under moderate pressure. How should the nurse document this finding?
a. Weak pulse
b. Normal pulse
c. Thready pulse
d. Bounding pulse

Answer 22

d. Bounding pulse