2026 CCRN EXAM Test (40 Questions And Complete Answers)

A 59 year old male is admitted complaining of chest pain and dyspnea. ST elevation and T wave inversion were seen on the EKG in V2,V3 and V4. IV thrombolytic therapy was started in ED. Indications of successful reperfusion would include all of the following except:

1. (A) pain cessation
2. (B) decrease in CK or troponin
3. (C) reversal of ST segment elevation with return to baseline
4. (D) short runs of ventricular tachycardia

Which of the following medication orders should the nurse question for the patient in question 1-reperfusion question-patient having an MI?

1. (A) metoprolol (Lopressor)
2. (B) aspirin
3. (C) propranolol (Inderal)
4. (D) heparin

If heart block develops while caring for the patient in question 1 (pt with an MI who went through reperfusion from PCI or fibrinolytic therapy), which of the following would it most likely be?

1. (A) sinoatrial block
2. (B) second degree, Type I
3. (C) second degree, Type II
4. (D) third degree, complete

Appropriate drug therapy for dilated cardiomyopathy is aimed toward:

1. (A) decreasing contractility and decreasing preload and afterload
2. (B) decreasing contractility and increasing preload and afterload
3. (C) increasing contractility and increasing both preload and afterload
4. (D) increasing contractility and decreasing both preload and afterload

An 18 year old is admitted with a history of syncopal episode at the mall and has a history of an eating disorder. The nurse notes a prolonged QT on the 12-lead EKG and anticipates a reduction in an electrolyte to be the cause. Which of the following is LEAST likely to cause this patient's problems?

1. (A) sodium
2. (B) magnesium
3. (C) potassium
4. (D) calcium

On the third day after admission for acute MI, a 67 year old male complains of chest pain and develops a fever. The pain is worse with deep inspiration and is relieved when he leans forward. There are nonspecific ST changes in the precordial leads of the EKG. The nurse anticipates that the patient will most likely need treatment for:

1. (A) thoracic aneurysm
2. (B) Dressler's syndrome
3. (C) reinfarction
4. (D) pleuritis

A patient is admitted to the CCU after a PCI with stent. Femoral sheath is in place, site is dry with no hematoma. He suddenly complains of severe back pain. Neck veins are flat with head of bed 30 degrees, heart sounds are normal. Vital signs are BP 78/48, HR 124 and RR 26. What should the nurse suspect? coronary artery

1. (A) cardiac tamponade
2. (B) retroperitoneal bleeding
3. (C) coronary artery dissection
4. (D) acute closure of the stented

Your patient admitted with an NSTEMI develops acute shortness of breath, recurrence of chest pain, and a loud systolic murmur at the apex of the heart. Which of the following has most likely occurred?

1. (A) the patient has developed acute mitral valve regurgitation
2. (B) the patient has developed acute infarction
3. (C) the patient has developed acute mitral wave stenosis
4. (D) the patient has developed acute ventricular septal defect

A patient has just returned from the OR after insertion of a VVI pacemaker. In order to assess function of this pacemaker accurately, the nurse needs to understand that:

1. (A) both atrium and ventricle are paced and sensed and may either inhibit or pace in response to sensing
2. (B) the ventricle is paced, ventricular activity is sensed and pacing is inhibited in response to ventricular sensing.
3. (C) both the atrium and ventricle are paced, but only ventricular pacing can be inhibited by a sensed intrinsic ventricular impulse.
4. (D) the ventricle is paced in response to a sensed intrinsic atrial impulse or inhibited by a sensed intrinsic ventricular impulse.

A patient complains of sudden dyspnea 5 days S/P acute MI (ST elevation in II, III, and aVF, with ST depression in I and aVL). The patient is anxious, diaphoretic, and hypotensive. Examination reveals the development of a loud holosystolic murmur at the apex. What is the most likely cause of this patient's deterioration?

1. (A) right ventricular failure related to right ventricular MI
2. (B) ventricular septal defect
3. (C) left ventricular failure due to extension of MI
4. (D) acute mitral regurgitation due to papillary muscle rupture or dysfunction