PALS Chapter 10: Cardiac Arrest Practice Test 2025

Last Updated on June 28, 2025

Pediatric Advanced Life Support PALS Chapter 10: Cardiac Arrest Practice Test 2025. Unlike cardiac arrest in adults, which is very common due to acute coronary syndrome, cardiac arrest in pediatrics is more commonly the consequence of respiratory failure or shock.

Thus, cardiac arrest can often be avoided if respiratory failure or shock is successfully managed. Less than 10% of the time, cardiac arrest is the consequence of ventricular arrhythmia and occurs suddenly. It may be possible to identify a reversible cause of cardiac arrest and treat it quickly. The reversible causes are essentially the same in children and infants as in adults.

PALS Chapter 10: Cardiac Arrest Practice Test

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PALS Chapter 10: Cardiac Arrest Practice Test

PALS Practice Test
Chapter 10: Cardiac Arrest
Total Items: 20 MCQs
Time Limit: N/A

1 / 20

1) A child is in cardiac arrest with no pulse but shows organized electrical activity on the monitor. What rhythm is this?

A) Normal sinus rhythm

B) Pulseless electrical activity (PEA)

C) Ventricular tachycardia

D) Asystole

2 / 20

2) What medication is given every 3–5 minutes during cardiac arrest?

A) Epinephrine

B) Atropine

C) Adenosine

D) Lidocaine

3 / 20

3) Which of the following may lead to pulseless ventricular tachycardia in children?

A) Fever

B) Hyperactivity

C) Bronchiolitis

D) Hypokalemia

4 / 20

4) Which of the following would NOT typically cause pulseless electrical activity?

A) Tamponade

B) Sinus arrhythmia

C) Tension pneumothorax

D) Hypoxia

5 / 20

5) A child with no palpable pulse and a flatline on the ECG is in which rhythm?

A) Ventricular fibrillation

B) Sinus tachycardia

C) Asystole

D) PEA

6 / 20

6) What is the correct joule dose for first pediatric defibrillation?

A) 4 J/kg

B) 2 J/kg

C) 10 J/kg

D) 0.5 J/kg

7 / 20

7) Which of the following is a common H in the reversible causes of cardiac arrest?

A) Hemophilia

B) Hypertension

C) Hypoxia

D) Hyperthyroidism

8 / 20

8) Which of the following drugs is NOT used in pulseless pediatric cardiac arrest?

A) Amiodarone

B) Atropine

C) Epinephrine

D) Adenosine

9 / 20

9) What should you suspect in a child with no pulse, collapsed lungs on X-ray, and tracheal deviation?

A) Pulmonary embolism

B) Asthma

C) Sepsis

D) Tension pneumothorax

10 / 20

10) Which “T” in the H’s and T’s is a reversible cause of cardiac arrest?

A) Tonsillitis

B) Tetanus

C) Tamponade (cardiac)

D) Thrombocytopenia

11 / 20

11) During pediatric resuscitation, when is defibrillation indicated?

A) PEA

B) Ventricular fibrillation

C) Asystole

D) Sinus bradycardia

12 / 20

12) A child has asystole on the monitor. What is the most appropriate action?

A) Administer adenosine

B) Shock with defibrillator

C) Synchronized cardioversion

D) Begin CPR and give epinephrine

13 / 20

13) Which of the following is a reversible cause of pediatric cardiac arrest?

A) Aortic dissection

B) Brain herniation

C) Complete spinal cord rupture

D) Tension pneumothorax

14 / 20

14) Which two rhythms are shockable in pediatric cardiac arrest?

A) PEA and asystole

B) VF and pulseless VT

C) Asystole and sinus tachycardia

D) Bradycardia and SVT

15 / 20

15) A 14-year-old is in pulseless ventricular tachycardia. What treatment is indicated?

A) High-dose epinephrine

B) Immediate defibrillation

C) Needle decompression

D) Atropine

16 / 20

16) Which of the following rhythms is shockable in pediatric cardiac arrest?

A) Asystole

B) PEA

C) Sinus bradycardia

D) Ventricular fibrillation

17 / 20

17) Which of the following is NOT a reversible cause of cardiac arrest?

A) Tension pneumothorax

B) Hypoxia

C) Hypovolemia

D) Brainstem infarct

18 / 20

18) What is the correct first action for a child in ventricular fibrillation?

A) Administer oxygen only

B) Begin chest compressions

C) Perform synchronized cardioversion

D) Give atropine

19 / 20

19) What action is recommended after a shock is delivered in pediatric cardiac arrest?

A) Resume CPR immediately

B) Administer epinephrine only if pulse returns

C) Give atropine

D) Recheck rhythm immediately

20 / 20

20) What is a key sign of pulseless electrical activity?

A) Organized rhythm without a pulse

B) V-fib on ECG

C) Asymmetric chest rise

D) No electrical activity on monitor

Your score is

See also:

Free PALS Practice Test 2025 Official Study Guide [PDF]

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