A patient who is a candidate for an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) asks the nurse about the purpose of this device.
What would be the nurse’s best response?
To detect and treat bradycardia, which is an excessively slow heart rate.
To detect and treat atrial fibrillation, in which your heart beats too quickly and inefficiently.
To detect and treat dysrhythmias such as ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia.
To shock your heart if you have a heart attack at home.
To shock your heart if you have a heart attack at home.
The Correct Answer is B
Choice A rationale:
Bradycardia refers to a slow heart rate, typically defined as less than 60 beats per minute.
While some ICDs can provide pacing for bradycardia, this is not their primary purpose.
Their primary goal is to prevent sudden cardiac death from life-threatening arrhythmias.
Therefore, Choice A is not the best response.
Choice B rationale:
Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is a common heart rhythm disorder characterized by rapid and irregular beating of the atria.
While ICDs can sometimes be used in patients with AFib, this is not their primary indication.
AFib is typically managed with medications to control heart rate and rhythm, or with ablation procedures to disrupt the abnormal electrical pathways.
Therefore, Choice B is not the best response.
Choice C rationale:
Ventricular fibrillation (VF) and ventricular tachycardia (VT) are life-threatening arrhythmias that originate in the ventricles of the heart.
VF is characterized by chaotic, disorganized electrical activity in the ventricles, leading to ineffective pumping and cardiac arrest.
VT is a very fast heart rhythm that can degenerate into VF.
ICDs are specifically designed to detect and treat VF and VT.
They do this by delivering electrical shocks to the heart, which can restore a normal rhythm.
Therefore, Choice C is the best response.
Choice D rationale:
While ICDs can deliver shocks during a heart attack, this is not their primary purpose.
Heart attacks are caused by a blockage of blood flow to the heart muscle, and they are typically treated with medications, such as aspirin, nitroglycerin, and clot-busting drugs.
ICDs are primarily used to prevent sudden cardiac death from life-threatening arrhythmias, not to treat heart attacks themselves.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is B
Explanation
Choice A rationale:
Gently abrading the skin with dry gauze or cloth is not recommended prior to ECG electrode placement.
Research has shown that this practice can actually increase skin impedance and lead to poor signal quality.
It can also cause discomfort and skin irritation, particularly in patients with sensitive skin.
In some cases, it may even damage the skin, leading to infection.
Therefore, it is best to avoid abrading the skin before ECG electrode placement.
Choice B rationale:
Ensuring that the skin is dry is essential for optimal ECG signal quality.
Moisture on the skin can interfere with the electrical connection between the electrodes and the skin, leading to artifacts in the ECG tracing.
These artifacts can make it difficult to interpret the ECG and may even lead to misdiagnosis.
Therefore, it is important to dry the skin thoroughly before applying the electrodes. This can be done using a soft towel or cloth.
Choice C rationale:
Tincture of benzoin is a sticky substance that is sometimes used to improve the adhesion of electrodes to the skin.
However, it is not necessary for ECG electrode placement and can actually irritate the skin.
It is also important to note that tincture of benzoin is flammable and should not be used near open flames or electrical equipment.
Therefore, it is generally not recommended for use with ECG electrode placement.
Choice D rationale:
Povidone-iodine solution is an antiseptic that is used to cleanse the skin and reduce the risk of infection.
However, it is not necessary for ECG electrode placement and can actually interfere with the electrical connection between the electrodes and the skin.
Therefore, it is generally not recommended for use with ECG electrode placement.
Correct Answer is D
Explanation
Choice A rationale:
Clearance of partially occluded coronary arteries is not a primary goal of catheter ablation therapy. This procedure is not designed to remove blockages in the coronary arteries. Instead, it focuses on targeting and disrupting abnormal electrical signals within the heart.
While coronary artery disease (CAD) can coexist with heart rhythm problems, and both may share risk factors like high blood pressure and cholesterol, catheter ablation specifically addresses electrical disturbances, not structural blockages in blood vessels.
Procedures like angioplasty or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) are used to address coronary artery blockages.
Choice B rationale:
Resetting of the heart’s contractility is not the primary mechanism of catheter ablation. While the procedure can sometimes improve heart function by reducing abnormal heart rhythms, its primary aim is to eliminate the abnormal electrical signals that cause arrhythmias, not directly enhance the heart's pumping ability.
Medications like beta-blockers or calcium channel blockers are often used to address contractility issues.
Choice C rationale:
Destruction of specific cardiac cells is the correct answer. Catheter ablation works by using energy (usually radiofrequency or cryoablation) to destroy small areas of heart tissue that are responsible for generating or conducting abnormal electrical signals.
By targeting these specific cells, the procedure can interrupt the pathways that cause arrhythmias, effectively eliminating or significantly reducing their occurrence.
This targeted approach is what distinguishes catheter ablation from medications, which often act on the entire heart rather than specific areas.
Choice D rationale:
Correction of structural cardiac abnormalities is not a goal of catheter ablation. This procedure is designed to address electrical problems within the heart, not structural defects like valve problems or holes in the heart walls.
Surgical procedures are typically used to correct structural abnormalities.
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