Code Blue
Common Diagnoses
Medications
Medical Devices
Vitals & Values
100
What is the compression to ventilation ratio for 1-person adult CPR?
30 compressions: 2 breaths
100
A patient with a DVT suddenly experiences shortness of breath, chest pain and low O2 levels. What emergency condition is the patient likely presenting with?
Pulmonary embolism
100
What class of medication is often given to reduce pain and can cause respiratory depression?
Opioids
100
When applying a tourniquet to an extremity, how far above the site of injury should it be placed?
2-3 inches (minimum 2)
100
Which vital sign is often the first to change in early sepsis?
Respiratory rate
200
What does ROSC stand for in the context of a code blue?
Return of Spontaneous Circulation
200
A patient arrives at the emergency department with severe chest pain and shortness of breath. The ECG shows ST elevation in multiple leads. The patient's troponin level comes back as 90,000. What is the most likely diagnosis?
STEMI
200
What medication is typically administered every 3-5 minutes during cardiac arrest to help restart the heart?
Epinephrine
200
What does the respiratory rate setting on a ventilator indicate?
Number of breaths delivered per minute
200
Which vital sign is a critical indicator of organ and tissue perfusion in critical care settings?
Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP)
300
What pulse is considered to be the most reliable when assessing a patient's responsiveness?
Carotid
300
A patient presents to the ED with a BP of 92/63, HR of 110, temp. of 38.3 C, RR of 22 and is confused. The patient's lactate level comes back elevated and blood cultures show the presence of gram negative bacteria. What is the most likely diagnosis?
Sepsis
300
What medication is used to treat life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias?
Amiodarone
300
What does PEEP stand for on a ventilator?
Positive End-Expiratory Pressure
300
A patient’s serum creatinine increases from 1.1 to 3.2 mg/dL over 24 hours. What does this potentially indicate?
Acute kidney injury (AKI)
400
During CPR, what is the maximum length of time you can pause between rounds of compressions?
10 seconds
400
A diabetic patient presents with Kussmaul respirations. What medical emergency does this respiratory pattern often indicate?
Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA)
400
What is the risk of administering vasopressors through a peripheral IV for an extended period of time?
Extravasation/tissue necrosis
400
Which artery is most commonly used for arterial line placement?
Radial artery
400
A patient's ABG results are the following:
pH: 7.28
PaCO2: 34 mmHg
HCO3: 16 mEq/L
PaO2: 92 mmHg
What does this blood gas indicate?
Metabolic acidosis
500
During a code, your patient's HR is 180 bpm and their rhythm strip looks like the following. Based on these findings, what intervention would you expect next?
Cardioversion (shock them!)
500
A patient with ARDS is on mechanical ventilation and is showing signs of low oxygenation and poor perfusion. How should the nurse reposition the patient to improve lung expansion?
Prone position
500
A patient is currently admitted for septic shock secondary to pneumonia. After receiving a fluid bolus, their blood pressure remains 78/46 mmHg with a MAP of 54. The physician decides to start the patient on vasopressors. Which first-line vasopressor would the nurse anticipate the physician to order?
Norepinephrine (Levophed)
500
Your patient has an active upper GI bleed from esophageal varices and is vomiting bright red blood. Endoscopy is unavailable and the patient is unresponsive to medications used to control bleeding. What is the name of the temporary tube that can be inserted into the esophagus to help control bleeding?
Sengstaken-Blakemore Tube
500
A patient on scheduled Warfarin has an INR of 5.2. The next scheduled dose is due at 1000. What is the nurse's priority action?
Hold it!