ATI LPN
Timby's Introductory Medical-Surgical Nursing Thirteenth, North American Edition
Chapter 26 : Caring for Clients With Cardiac Arrhythmias Questions
Question 1 of 5
The client has just been diagnosed with a arrhythmia. The client asks the nurse to explain normal sinus rhythm. What would the nurse explain is the characteristic of normal sinus rhythm?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The characteristics of normal sinus rhythm are heart rate between 60 and 100 beats/minute, the SA node initiates the impulse, the impulse travels to the AV node in 0.12 to 0.2 second, the ventricles depolarize in 0.12 seconds or less, and each impulse occurs regularly.
Question 2 of 5
The nursing student is taking a pre-nursing pharmacology class. Today, the nursing student is learning about antiarrhythmic drugs. What drug is a potassium channel blocker?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Potassium channel blockers include amiodarone and bretylium tosylate. Lidocaine and flecainide are sodium channel blockers. Isoproterenol is a beta-blocker.
Question 3 of 5
The nurse is caring for a client with atrial fibrillation. What procedure would be recommended if drug therapies did not control the arrhythmia?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Atrial fibrillation is treated with elective cardioversion or digitalis if the ventricular rate is not too slow. Defibrillation is used for a ventricular problem. Maze procedures are used for clients who are not candidates for cardio diversion; these procedures use scar-forming techniques to eliminate rapid firing of ectopic pacemaker sites, thus restoring the normal conduction pathways in the atria. A Maze procedure might be considered for this client only after determining ineligibility for cardiodiversion. Pacemakers are implanted for bradycardia.
Question 4 of 5
Elective cardioversion is similar to defibrillation except that the electrical stimulation waits to discharge until an R wave appears. What does this prevent?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: It is similar to defibrillation. One difference is that the machine that delivers the electrical stimulation waits to discharge until it senses the appearance of an R wave. By doing so, the machine prevents disrupting the heart during the critical period of ventricular repolarization.
Question 5 of 5
The nurse enters the client's room and finds the client pulseless and unresponsive. What would be the treatment of choice for this client?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Defibrillation is used during pulseless ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation.