HESI PATHOPHYSIOLOGY FNP V2 / PATHOPHYSIOLOGY H E S I FNP R E A L 100 PRACTICE QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED ANSWERS LATEST UPDATE 

1. Upon admission assessment, the nurse hears a
murmur located at the fifth intercostal space, midclavicular
line. The client asks, “What does that mean?” The nurse will
base her answer on which of the following physiologic
principles?
A) “You have been exposed to an infection that went
into your blood stream.”
B) “You have a heart valve that is diseased.”
C) “You heart has been pumping your blood so hard,
that the pressure has damaged your valves.”
D) “Your heart has enlarged, so naturally your valves
had to enlarge as well.”
Ans: B
Feedback: Turbulence is often accompanied by
vibrations of the blood and surrounding cardiovascular
structures. Some of these vibrations are in the audible range
and can be heard using a stethoscope. For example, a heart
murmur results from turbulent flow through a diseased
heart valve. The other distractors are not feasible.
2. A client is diagnosed with an abdominal aortic
aneurysm that the physician just wants to “watch” for now.
When teaching the client about signs/symptoms to watch
for, the nurse will base the teaching on which of the
following physiological principles?
A) Small diameter of this vessel will cause it to
rupture more readily.
B) The larger the aneurysm, the less tension placed
on the vessel.
C) As the aneurysm grows, more tension is placed on
the vessel wall, which increases the risk for rupture.
D) The primary cause for rupture relates to increase
in abdominal pressure such as straining to have a bowel
movement.
Ans: C
Feedback: Because the pressure is equal
throughout, the tension in the part of the balloon with the
smaller radius is less than the tension in the section with the
larger radius. The same holds true for an arterial aneurysm
in which the tension and risk of rupture increase as the
aneurysm grows in size. Wall tension is inversely related to
wall thickness, such that the thicker the vessel wall, the
lower the tension, and vice versa. Although arteries have a
thicker muscular wall than veins, their distensibility allows
them to store some of the blood that is ejected from the
heart during systole, providing for continuous flow through
the capillaries as the heart relaxes during diastole.
3. A client has entered hypovolemic shock after
massive blood loss in a car accident. Many of the client's
peripheral blood vessels have consequently collapsed. How
does the Laplace law account for this pathophysiologic
phenomenon?
A) Blood pressure is no longer able to overcome
vessel wall tension.
B) Decreasing vessel radii has caused a decrease in
blood pressure.
C) Wall thickness of small vessels has decreased due
to hypotension.
D) Decreases in wall tension and blood pressure have
caused a sudden increase in vessel radii.
Ans: A
Feedback: In circulatory shock, there is a decrease
in blood volume and vessel radii, along with a drop in blood
pressure. As a result, many of the small vessels collapse as
blood pressure drops to the point where it can no longer
overcome the wall tension. Decreases in vessel wall radii do
not cause the decrease in blood pressure, and wall thickness
generally remains static.
4. Which of the following statements about vascular
compliance is accurate?
A) Arteries are much more distensible than veins.
B) Veins can act as a reservoir for storing large
quantities of blood.
C) Arteries have thick muscular walls that constrict
tightly, thereby ejecting blood without storing it for later
use.
D) A continuous flow through the capillaries occurs
primarily during systole.
Ans: B
Feedback: The most distensible of all vessels are the
veins, which can increase their volume with only slight
changes in pressure, allowing them to function as a reservoir
for storing large quantities of blood that can be returned to
the circulation when it is needed. Although arteries have a
thicker muscular wall than veins, their distensibility allows
them to store some of the blood that is ejected from the
heart during systole, providing for continuous flow through
the capillaries as the heart relaxes during diastole.
5. In the days following a tooth cleaning and root
canal, a client has developed an infection of the thin, threelayered membrane that lines the heart and covers the
valves. What is this client's most likely diagnosis?