22 Cardiology & Resuscitation Practice Questions & Answers

1. 1. You are assessing an unresponsive 4-month-old infant. Where should you check for a pulse?

   • A.Radial artery at the wrist
   • B.Femoral artery in the groin
   • C.Carotid artery in the neck
   • D.Brachial artery in the upper arm✓ Answer

   For infants the brachial artery on the inner upper arm is used because a short, chubby neck makes the carotid hard to locate; the pulse check should take no more than 10 seconds.

   Source: AHA BLS Guidelines — Infant pulse check: brachial artery (≤10 s)Report a problem with this question

2. 2. Two EMTs are performing CPR on an adult in cardiac arrest without an advanced airway. What compression-to-ventilation ratio should they use?

   • A.10:2
   • B.5:1
   • C.15:2
   • D.30:2✓ Answer

   For adults the ratio stays 30:2 whether one or two rescuers are present; only children and infants change to 15:2 when two rescuers are working, a commonly tested trap.

   Source: AHA BLS Guidelines — Adult compression-to-ventilation ratio remains 30:2 with 1 or 2 rescuersReport a problem with this question

3. 3. After confirming an adult is unresponsive, pulseless, and apneic, which action should you perform first?

   • A.Give two rescue breaths
   • B.Begin chest compressions✓ Answer
   • C.Open the airway with a head-tilt/chin-lift
   • D.Check the airway for an obstruction

   Current guidelines use the C-A-B sequence — Compressions, Airway, Breathing — so chest compressions begin first to restore circulation without delay.

   Source: AHA BLS Guidelines — C-A-B sequence (compressions before airway/breathing)Report a problem with this question

4. 4. Where should you place your hands to perform chest compressions on an adult?

   • A.Directly over the xiphoid process
   • B.Over the left nipple, above the apex of the heart
   • C.On the center of the chest, lower half of the sternum✓ Answer
   • D.Over the upper third of the sternum

   Hands are placed on the center of the chest over the lower half of the sternum; compressing over the xiphoid can cause injury, and compressing too high is ineffective.

   Source: AHA BLS Guidelines — Adult hand placement: lower half of the sternumReport a problem with this question

5. 5. What is the correct chest compression depth for a child (1 year to puberty) during CPR?

   • A.At least 2.4 inches (6 cm)
   • B.The same as an adult, at least 2.5 inches
   • C.About 1 inch (2.5 cm)
   • D.About 2 inches (5 cm), roughly one-third the depth of the chest✓ Answer

   For a child, compress about one-third of the anterior-posterior chest diameter, which is roughly 2 inches (5 cm) — deeper than an infant but not as deep as an adult maximum.

   Source: AHA BLS Guidelines — Child compression depth ~1/3 AP diameter (~2 in/5 cm)Report a problem with this question

6. 6. Two rescuers are performing CPR on an infant. Which compression technique is preferred?

   • A.Two hands, as used for an adult
   • B.The two-thumb encircling-hands technique✓ Answer
   • C.Two fingers on the lower sternum
   • D.The heel of one hand on the sternum

   With two rescuers, the two-thumb encircling-hands technique is preferred for infants because it produces better blood flow and more consistent compression depth than the two-finger method.

   Source: AHA BLS Guidelines — Infant two-rescuer technique: two-thumb encircling handsReport a problem with this question

7. 7. The AED analyzes an adult in cardiac arrest and states 'No shock advised.' What should you do?

   • A.Get a new AED because this one is malfunctioning
   • B.Immediately resume high-quality CPR✓ Answer
   • C.Stop CPR and monitor; the patient has recovered
   • D.Wait one minute, then re-analyze before touching the patient

   'No shock advised' does not mean the patient is fine — the rhythm may be asystole or PEA — so you immediately resume CPR rather than stopping.

   Source: AHA BLS/AED operation — 'No shock advised' → resume CPR immediatelyReport a problem with this question

8. 8. You are about to use an AED on a patient just pulled from a swimming pool. The chest is wet. What should you do first?

   • A.Pour saline on the chest to improve pad contact
   • B.Apply the pads immediately; water improves conduction
   • C.Do not use the AED at all on a wet patient
   • D.Move the patient off any standing water and dry the chest before applying pads✓ Answer

   Water on the chest or standing water can conduct the shock across the skin or to rescuers, so move the patient off wet surfaces and dry the chest before applying pads.

   Source: AHA AED special situations — remove from water and dry chest before useReport a problem with this question

9. 9. While placing AED pads on a patient's chest, you find a medication patch where a pad must go. What should you do?

   • A.Cancel AED use because of the medication
   • B.Remove the patch with a gloved hand, wipe the area, then apply the pad✓ Answer
   • C.Leave the patch and move the pad several inches to the side
   • D.Place the pad directly over the patch

   A transdermal medication patch can block energy delivery and cause burns, so remove it — with a gloved hand to avoid absorbing the drug — wipe the area, then apply the pad.

   Source: AHA AED special situations — remove transdermal medication patch before pad placementReport a problem with this question

10. 10. You notice a hard lump under the skin of a cardiac-arrest patient's upper chest, consistent with an implanted pacemaker. How should you place the AED pad?

    • A.On the opposite side of the chest only
    • B.Do not use the AED
    • C.Directly over the device to reset it
    • D.At least 1 inch (2.5 cm) away from the device✓ Answer

    A pad placed directly over an implanted pacemaker or ICD can block the shock, so position it at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) to the side; the AED is still used.

    Source: AHA AED special situations — place pad ≥1 in (2.5 cm) from implanted pacemaker/ICDReport a problem with this question

11. 11. You have only pediatric AED pads with a dose attenuator available for an adult in cardiac arrest. What should you do?

    • A.Use the pediatric pads; a lower dose is safer
    • B.Use two sets of pediatric pads to double the dose
    • C.Do not use pediatric pads on an adult; use adult pads✓ Answer
    • D.Withhold defibrillation entirely

    Pediatric pads and dose attenuators deliver too little energy for an adult and may fail to defibrillate, so adults require adult pads — whereas adult pads may be used on a child if pediatric pads are unavailable.

    Source: AHA AED pad rules — pediatric pads/attenuator must not be used on an adultReport a problem with this question

12. 12. For which cardiac rhythm is an AED designed to deliver a defibrillation shock?

    • A.Asystole
    • B.Normal sinus rhythm
    • C.Ventricular fibrillation✓ Answer
    • D.Pulseless electrical activity

    Ventricular fibrillation — a disorganized, quivering rhythm — and pulseless ventricular tachycardia are the shockable rhythms a defibrillator can reorganize; asystole and PEA are non-shockable and treated with CPR.

    Source: AHA ECC — shockable rhythms: ventricular fibrillation and pulseless VTReport a problem with this question

13. 13. A 58-year-old man with chest pain asks you to help him take his prescribed nitroglycerin. He mentions he took sildenafil (Viagra) about 6 hours ago. What should you do?

    • A.Give a double dose to overcome the interaction
    • B.Give the nitroglycerin as usual
    • C.Withhold the nitroglycerin because of the risk of severe hypotension✓ Answer
    • D.Give it only if he lies flat

    Nitroglycerin combined with a PDE-5 inhibitor (sildenafil within 24 h, tadalafil within 48 h) can cause profound, life-threatening hypotension, so it must be withheld.

    Source: Nitroglycerin contraindication — PDE-5 inhibitors (sildenafil <24 h, tadalafil <48 h)Report a problem with this question

14. 14. Before assisting a chest-pain patient with nitroglycerin, you find the blood pressure is 84/50 mmHg. What is the appropriate action?

    • A.Withhold the nitroglycerin because of hypotension✓ Answer
    • B.Give a half dose
    • C.Give the nitroglycerin; it will relieve the pain
    • D.Give it and recheck the pressure afterward

    Nitroglycerin is a vasodilator that lowers blood pressure, so it is contraindicated when the systolic pressure is below about 90–100 mmHg to avoid dangerous hypotension.

    Source: Nitroglycerin contraindication — systolic BP <90–100 mmHg (hypotension)Report a problem with this question

15. 15. You are giving aspirin to a conscious patient with suspected acute coronary syndrome. How should the patient take it?

    • A.Take it with an antacid
    • B.Swallow it whole with water
    • C.Chew the tablet(s) before swallowing✓ Answer
    • D.Dissolve it under the tongue only

    Chewing the aspirin speeds its absorption and antiplatelet effect, which helps limit clot growth in the coronary artery faster than swallowing it whole.

    Source: EMT protocol — aspirin 162–324 mg chewable, chewed for faster antiplatelet effectReport a problem with this question

16. 16. Which finding is a contraindication to giving aspirin to a patient with chest pain?

    • A.Age over 65
    • B.Active gastrointestinal bleeding✓ Answer
    • C.A prior heart attack
    • D.A history of high blood pressure

    Aspirin impairs platelet function and can worsen bleeding, so active gastrointestinal bleeding — along with aspirin allergy or inability to swallow — is a contraindication.

    Source: Aspirin contraindications — active GI bleeding/ulcer, allergy, inability to swallowReport a problem with this question

17. 17. A 70-year-old woman with diabetes reports unusual fatigue, nausea, and mild shortness of breath but denies chest pain. What is the most appropriate action?

    • A.Delay transport until chest pain develops
    • B.Reassure her that without chest pain a heart attack is unlikely
    • C.Treat only for indigestion
    • D.Treat her as a possible acute coronary syndrome and transport✓ Answer

    Women, the elderly, and diabetics often have atypical or 'silent' MI presentations without classic chest pain, so these symptoms warrant treating and transporting for possible acute coronary syndrome.

    Source: ACS assessment — atypical/silent MI presentations in women, elderly, and diabeticsReport a problem with this question

18. 18. A patient's chest discomfort came on with exertion, lasted about 5 minutes, and went away completely with rest. This pattern is most consistent with:

    • A.Acute myocardial infarction
    • B.Pericardial tamponade
    • C.Cardiogenic shock
    • D.Stable angina✓ Answer

    Stable angina is transient ischemia — typically brief (under about 15 minutes) and relieved by rest or nitroglycerin — without the myocardial cell death that occurs in an MI.

    Source: ACS spectrum — stable angina: transient, <15 min, relieved by rest/nitroglycerinReport a problem with this question

19. 19. A patient with a history of heart failure is short of breath, has crackles in both lungs, and coughs up pink, frothy sputum. If blood pressure allows, how should you position this patient?

    • A.Trendelenburg (head down)
    • B.Left lateral recumbent
    • C.Supine and flat
    • D.Sitting upright (semi-Fowler's)✓ Answer

    These signs indicate pulmonary edema from left-sided heart failure; sitting the patient upright eases the work of breathing and reduces venous return to the congested lungs.

    Source: Left-sided heart failure/pulmonary edema — position upright (semi-Fowler's)Report a problem with this question

20. 20. A patient with a suspected heart attack now has a weak, thready pulse; cool, clammy skin; low blood pressure; and altered mental status. This presentation is most consistent with:

    • A.Simple fainting (vasovagal syncope)
    • B.A panic attack
    • C.Cardiogenic shock✓ Answer
    • D.Dehydration

    When the heart's pumping function fails after an MI, cardiac output drops, producing hypotension, a weak pulse, cool clammy skin, and altered mental status — the hallmarks of cardiogenic shock, which requires rapid transport.

    Source: Cardiogenic shock — pump failure causing hypotension and poor perfusionReport a problem with this question

21. 21. For a patient in ventricular fibrillation, what is the single most important treatment that improves survival, along with early high-quality CPR?

    • A.Sublingual nitroglycerin
    • B.High-flow oxygen
    • C.Early defibrillation✓ Answer
    • D.A fluid bolus

    For VF and pulseless VT, early defibrillation is the single most effective treatment; survival falls roughly 7–10% for each minute defibrillation is delayed when no CPR is given.

    Source: Chain of Survival — early defibrillation is the most effective treatment for VF/pulseless VTReport a problem with this question

22. 22. Compared with adults, cardiac arrest in children is most often caused by:

    • A.A congenital pacemaker defect
    • B.A sudden blood clot in a coronary artery
    • C.A respiratory or hypoxic problem✓ Answer
    • D.Ventricular fibrillation from coronary disease

    Pediatric arrests are usually the end result of respiratory failure or hypoxia, so oxygenation and ventilation are emphasized, whereas adult arrests are commonly primary cardiac events (VF).

    Source: Pediatric resuscitation — arrest is most often respiratory/hypoxic in originReport a problem with this question

Practice questions modeled on the National EMS Education Standards and NREMT cognitive-exam content areas. Not medical advice and not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) or NHTSA. Always follow your instructor, medical director, and local protocols. Study the official materials at nremt.org. Official NREMT →