Question 1
What acid-base disorder is indicated by an arterial pH of 7.05?
Correct Answer:
Metabolic acidosis
Explanation:
A pH of 7.05 shows acidemia, meaning the blood is too acidic. To identify the specific disorder we distinguish between metabolic and respiratory causes: metabolic changes alter bicarbonate (HCO3−), while respiratory changes alter carbon dioxide (PaCO2). To decide which is primary you’d normally look at ABG values for PaCO2 and HCO3−, because the same pH value can be due to either a metabolic or a respiratory problem depending on those numbers. Among the given options, a pH this low fits an acidosis. Metabolic acidosis is a common cause of significant acidemia and occurs when bicarbonate is lost or when acids accumulate (as in renal failure, lactic acidosis, sepsis, or diarrhea). It typically prompts the body to compensate by increasing ventilation to blow off CO2, lowering PaCO2 on the ABG if compensation is present. Respiratory acidosis would require a high PaCO2, while metabolic alkalosis or respiratory alkalosis would present with alkalemia (pH above 7.45), which is not the case here. So, given the pH is severely acidemic and the available option set, metabolic acidosis is the most fitting choice, with the caveat that confirmation would come from the accompanying PaCO2 and HCO3− values.
Question 2
Why is adequate pain management critical in older adults, and what risk arises from undertreated pain?
Correct Answer:
Pain limits activity and sleep, increasing falls and functional decline; undertreatment increases risk of falls and depression.
Explanation:
Adequate pain management in older adults is essential because pain directly limits activity, sleep, and participation in daily tasks. When pain isn’t well controlled, activity wanes, strength and balance decline, and older adults become deconditioned, which raises the risk of falls. Pain also disrupts sleep, leading to daytime fatigue and reduced function, and it can contribute to depressive symptoms or social withdrawal. The statement that pain limits activity and sleep and that undertreatment increases falls and depression best captures how unmanaged pain worsens overall function and safety in later life. Ignore the idea of not treating pain to avoid side effects—that approach can leave pain unmanaged and worsen outcomes. Pain does affect function, so the claim that it has no impact is not correct. And undertreating pain does not reduce fall risk; it increases it, not only through impaired mobility but also through poorer sleep and mood.
Question 3
Osmotic diuresis in diabetes occurs because which of the following?
Correct Answer:
Glucose in the urine pulls water with it, increasing urine output
Explanation:
Osmotic diuresis happens when an osmotically active substance stays in the urine and pulls water with it. In diabetes, blood glucose becomes very high, and the kidney can't reabsorb all of it beyond a certain limit. The excess glucose spills into the urine and remains in the tubular fluid, so water is drawn into the urine by osmosis. This increases urine volume (polyuria) and can lead to dehydration and thirst. The other ideas don’t explain the big rise in urine output seen in this context: hormonal water retention would reduce, not increase, urine; ketone bodies can have osmotic effects in some diabetic states but aren’t the primary driver of osmotic diuresis in typical diabetes; and a lower glomerular filtration rate would generally decrease urine formation rather than cause the glucose-driven water loss described here.
Question 4
A non-healing diabetic foot ulcer is at risk for which serious complication if not properly managed?
Correct Answer:
Amputation
Explanation:
Chronic non-healing diabetic foot ulcers signal that infection and tissue damage can escalate to involvement of deeper structures, including bone, and even systemic infection. In diabetes, impaired immune response and poor blood flow slow healing and allow bacteria to spread more easily. When infection and necrosis progress, the limb may become non-viable, and amputation can become necessary to remove the source of infection and prevent life-threatening sepsis. So, the most serious possible complication if such a wound isn’t properly managed is amputation. Spontaneous healing without infection is unlikely in a non-healing diabetic ulcer, and while infection risk is real, it’s the progression to severe damage and potential amputation that represents the critical danger. Worsening anemia is not the primary concern driving the urgency in this context.
Question 5
Hypovolemia from dehydration can cause a drop in blood pressure when standing. Which term describes this change?
Correct Answer:
Postural hypotension
Explanation:
Postural hypotension occurs when blood pressure falls after standing, especially when volume is low from dehydration. When you stand, gravity pulls blood into the legs, and if the circulating volume is reduced, the return of blood to the heart (venous return) and the amount the heart can pump ( preload) drop. That can cause a noticeable drop in blood pressure upon standing, sometimes with dizziness or lightheadedness. The body normally tries to compensate by increasing heart rate and constricting vessels, but with hypovolemia, these mechanisms may not fully prevent the drop. So this term describes the BP change tied to changing position. Increased heart rate is a compensatory response, not the description of the BP change itself. Tachycardia is just fast heart rate, and hypertension is high blood pressure, which don’t describe a drop in BP when standing.
Question 1
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Prepare with the HESI Gerontology – Age-Related Risks Case Study Practice Test practice quiz. This question bank includes 10 questions covering risk, pain, older, adults, and managed. Use it to review important concepts, identify knowledge gaps, and build confidence for the related exam, course, or assessment.

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HESI Gerontology – Age-Related Risks Case Study Practice Test

This practice set contains 10 questions from the matching question bank and focuses on risk, pain, older, adults, and managed. Work through each question carefully, review the provided solutions, and revisit topics that need more study before your next attempt.

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