RN Exam Practice
Physiological AdaptationQuestion 1294 of 2368

A student asks why a child with an atrial septal defect has no cyanosis. Which response by the nurse is correct?

  1. Blood is shunted from the right side, so deoxygenated blood reaches the aorta
  2. The extra red blood cells fully compensate for the low oxygen level
  3. The defect closes with the first breath, so no blood is shunted
  4. Blood is shunted from the left side, so the shunted blood is already oxygenated
Show answer

Correct answer: Blood is shunted from the left side, so the shunted blood is already oxygenated

In acyanotic defects, blood moves left to right and is oxygen-rich. The extra volume in the right heart is the problem, not hypoxia.

Source: Nursing Health Promotion (Open RN, Chippewa Valley Technical College, 2025), Congenital Heart Defects: Acyanotic Defects. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Practice the topic "Physiological Adaptation"

Questions last reviewed: 18 October 2026