Active recall review

Circulatory System Fill-In Review

Use this review to practice the circulatory concepts students commonly confuse: pulmonary artery versus vein, oxygen-poor versus oxygen-rich blood, left ventricle/aorta flow, ECG versus echo, and lab connections.

How to Use This Review

Try the prompts without looking first, then show the answer key. The goal is not perfect wording. The goal is to build a safe, organized mental map before class, lab, clinical, or exam review.

Fill-In-the-Blank Prompts

Do not enter patient names, MRNs, dates of birth, or private health information into this tool.

1. Blood flow sequence: Body → vena cava → right atrium → right ventricle → ______ → lungs → pulmonary veins → left atrium → left ventricle → aorta → body. 2. The pulmonary artery carries blood ______ from the heart to the lungs. 3. The pulmonary veins bring ______ blood back from the lungs to the left atrium. 4. The right side of the heart is usually associated with ______-poor blood before gas exchange. 5. The left ventricle pumps blood through the ______ to support systemic perfusion. 6. Troponin is reviewed in context with trend, timing, symptoms, ECG findings, and ______ interpretation. 7. BNP is commonly studied with cardiac stretch and ______-volume concerns. 8. Potassium and magnesium are often reviewed with cardiac electrical activity and ______ concerns. 9. ECG/EKG reviews electrical activity, while an echo is often used to review heart structure and ______. 10. Edema plus shortness of breath can be used as a study connection for fluid status, oxygenation, lung sounds, symptoms, and ______ guidance. 11. Beta blockers are commonly studied with pulse, blood pressure, rhythm context, and ordered ______. 12. Diuretics are often connected to fluid status, urine output, weights, renal function, and ______ trends.

Tip: If you can explain why each answer matters, you are studying more like a nurse and less like a flashcard machine.

Answer Key

Pulmonary artery.
Away.
Oxygenated or oxygen-rich.
Oxygen.
Aorta.
Provider.
Fluid.
Rhythm.
Function.
Provider, facility, or care-team guidance.
Parameters or monitoring.
Electrolyte.

This content is for nursing education and study organization only. It does not replace instructor guidance, clinical supervision, provider orders, facility policy, emergency protocols, or clinical judgment.

Created for Nurse Shift Survival by an experienced BSN, RN with more than two decades in healthcare.

Last updated: May 2026