A 58-year-old client is on postoperative day 2 following cardiac surgery with placement of a mediastinal chest tube connected to a closed-drainage system with wall suction set at −20 cmH2O. Current vital signs are stable; oxygen saturation is 94% on room air. The chest tube dressing is clean and dry with no erythema. Over the past 8 hours, chest-tube drainage has been serosanguineous and relatively light (approximately 40 mL total). The nurse notes the collection chamber is positioned 30 cm below the insertion site, tubing is free of kinks, and the water-seal chamber shows continuous gentle bubbling. The client is scheduled for ambulation to the chair with assistance. What is the most appropriate action by the nurse?

Maintain the collection chamber below the chest level, keep the system closed and unclamped during transport, and verify wall-suction pressure remains at −20 cmH2O after ambulation.

Milk the chest tube over its length every 1–2 hours to maintain patency and prevent blood clots from obstructing drainage.

Document the continuous bubbling in the water-seal chamber as an expected normal finding on postoperative day 2 and continue routine monitoring.

Clamp the chest tube at the insertion site during transport to the chair to prevent drainage leakage and accidental disconnection.

A 58-year-old client is postoperative day 2 following a left lower lobe wedge resection with placement of a chest tube to a three-bottle water-seal drainage system set for −20 cmH2O suction. Current orders require the system to remain below the level of the insertion site at the mid-axillary line. The nurse observes the following during the 0700 assessment: - Drainage output: 180 mL of bright red fluid over the past 2 hours (previous 8-hour shift total was 120 mL of serosanguineous drainage) - Chest tube insertion site: erythema and minimal serous ooze around the gauze dressing; dressing intact - Breath sounds: diminished on left base; oxygen saturation 94% on room air - Water-seal chamber: continuous, steady bubbling throughout the chamber - System integrity: collection chamber is at the level of the client's shoulder; tubing has no kinks; continuous flow into the chamber Which action should the nurse take?

Notify the health care provider immediately of the sudden increase in bright-red drainage and the continuous water-seal bubbling; lower the collection chamber below the insertion site; assess for signs of hemorrhage and air leak.

Milk the chest tube gently along its entire length every 1–2 hours to clear any clots and restore the pressure gradient needed for effective drainage.

Document the continuous bubbling as an expected postoperative finding, empty the collection chamber to restore suction, and monitor the drainage color trend during morning rounds.

Clamp the chest tube above the insertion site and transport the client to the imaging department for chest X-ray to evaluate the air leak before notifying the provider.

NCLEX® Prep · Cardiovascular

Cardiovascular
NCLEX® practice.

Heart failure, dysrhythmias, ECG interpretation, shock, and vascular disorders. Practice the cardiac topics that show up most on the NCLEX®.

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2026 NCSBN test planSBA, SATA, BowTie, CJ11 subtopics

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A 58-year-old client is postoperative day 2 after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). A left-sided chest tube with water-seal suction is in place draining the mediastinal space. The prescribed device setting is continuous suction at −20 cmH2O. Current assessment reveals: chest-tube drainage is 280 mL of bright red blood over the past 2 hours; the water-seal chamber shows continuous vigorous bubbling; the dressing at the insertion site is clean and intact with no erythema; breath sounds are equal bilaterally; oxygen saturation is 96% on 2 L nasal cannula; and hemoglobin has dropped from 9.5 g/dL (postop day 1) to 8.8 g/dL. The tubing is patent with no kinks or dependent loops below the collection chamber, which is positioned 30 cm below the insertion site.

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Vol. 01 · Coverage

What you'll practice

Cardiovascular questions span 11 subtopics aligned to the 2026 NCSBN test plan.

Heart Failure & Cardiac Output

Coronary Artery Disease & Angina

Dysrhythmias & ECG Interpretation

Hypertension & Vascular Disorders

Peripheral Vascular Disease & Venous Thromboembolism

Shock & Hemodynamic Monitoring

Valvular Disorders & Cardiac Surgery

Cardiac Catheterization & Pacing Devices

Infective Endocarditis & Cardiac Inflammatory Disorders

Aortic Aneurysm & Aortic Dissection

Cardiac Tamponade & Pericarditis

Vol. 02 · The Blueprint

Where cardiovascular lands on the 2026 test plan

The NCLEX® scores you across eight Client Needs categories, each with an official share of your exam. Every cardiovascular question here is mapped to the 2026 NCSBN test plan, so this practice flows straight into the categories below.

Management of Care

15–21%

Reduction of Risk Potential

9–15%

Physiological Adaptation

11–17%

See the full 2026 test plan map →

Vol. 03 · The Method

How it works

Start practicing Cardiovascular
Jump into adaptive cardiovascular NCLEX® practice. Lily picks questions at the right difficulty for you.
Difficulty adjusts in real time based on your answers.
Get feedback after every question
Each rationale explains why the correct answer works and why the others don't.
You understand the reasoning, not just the answer.
See your gaps close
Track your cardiovascular mastery. Lily highlights weak subtopics and drills them harder until they stick.
You always know where to focus next.

Vol. 04 · Questions

Common questions

How many cardiovascular NCLEX® questions does StudyWithLily have?

The cardiovascular bank covers heart failure staging and daily weights, acute coronary syndrome, dysrhythmia recognition, digoxin and beta-blocker safety, hypertensive crisis, and cardiogenic shock. Expect questions that make you act on a rising BNP, a potassium of 3.2 mEq/L on furosemide, or a client who gained 2 kg overnight. Difficulty adapts as you answer, so you spend time where your gaps are.

Does StudyWithLily cover cardiovascular topics for the 2026 NCLEX®?

Yes. Cardiovascular items map to Physiological Adaptation and Reduction of Risk Potential in the 2026 NCSBN test plan. That means recognizing cues like crackles plus orthopnea in fluid overload, prioritizing which cardiac client you assess first, and evaluating whether nitroglycerin relieved the chest pain.

Can I practice cardiovascular questions for free?

Yes. Try the sample questions on this page right now, no account needed. A free account gets you 150 adaptive questions a month with full rationales, and cardiovascular practice counts toward your readiness map.

What question types are available for cardiovascular?

SBA, SATA, BowTie, and Clinical Judgment case items. Cardiac scenarios fit the BowTie format especially well: one deteriorating client, the action to take, and the parameters to monitor, like MAP and urine output in cardiogenic shock.

Vol. 05 · Keep Going

Practice respiratory questions Practice fluid and electrolyte questions Practice pharmacology questions Turn your med-surg notes into practice Try BowTie practice questions

View all NCLEX® practice topics→

NCLEX® Prep · Cardiovascular

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cardiovascular.

Adaptive cardiovascular practice with instant rationales. Free includes SBA, SATA, Matrix, and Drop-Down Cloze, with 150 questions a month. Full Access is $15/month and adds unlimited NGN questions (BowTie and Unfolding Case Studies).

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Study With Lily · Est. 20262026 NCSBN Test Plan · Aligned

CardiovascularNCLEX® practice.

What you'll practice

Where cardiovascular lands on the 2026 test plan

How it works

Start practicing Cardiovascular

Get feedback after every question

See your gaps close

Common questions

Where to go next

Start practicingcardiovascular.

Cardiovascular
NCLEX® practice.

Start practicing
cardiovascular.