The nurse sees a life-threatening arrhythmia on a patient's cardiac monitor. Which of the following actions should the nurse take first?
Examine the patient and collect data.
Notify the health-care provider immediately.
Obtain vital signs.
Administer antiarrhythmic medication.
The Correct Answer is B
A. While assessment and data collection are important, the priority in the presence of a life-threatening arrhythmia is to initiate immediate interventions to address the situation.
B. The nurse should immediately inform the healthcare provider about the life- threatening arrhythmia to obtain further guidance and potential orders for intervention.
C. Vital signs are important, but they should not delay immediate action when a life- threatening arrhythmia is present.
D. Administering antiarrhythmic medication may be necessary, but the nurse should first notify the healthcare provider to obtain orders and guidance before administering any medications.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is A
Explanation
A. Three or more consecutive premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) on an ECG tracing is indicative of ventricular tachycardia, a serious arrhythmia that requires prompt intervention.
B. Bigeminy refers to a pattern of every other beat being a PVC, not necessarily three or more consecutive PVCs.
C. Ventricular fibrillation is characterized by chaotic, disorganized ventricular activity on the ECG and is not defined by the presence of consecutive PVCs.
D. Trigeminy refers to a pattern of every third beat being a PVC, not necessarily three or more consecutive PVCs.
Correct Answer is ["A","B","D"]
Explanation
A. Irregularly irregular: Atrial fibrillation is characterized by an irregularly irregular rhythm.
B. No identifiable P waves: P waves are typically absent in atrial fibrillation or may be difficult to identify.
C. PR interval is not typically measured in atrial fibrillation as it is not relevant to the rhythm.
D. Atrial rate not measurable: The atrial rate in atrial fibrillation is not measurable due to the rapid and irregular nature of the rhythm.
E. QRS interval is typically normal in atrial fibrillation and does not exceed 0.10 seconds.
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