The nurse is caring for a client who has had a temporary transvenous pacemaker inserted. The cardiac monitor shows pacemaker spikes occurring at various points in the client's own beats such as on the T wave. What action is the nurse's priority?

Instruct the client to remain quiet and refrain from activity

Continue to monitor as this may occur with a transvenous pacemaker

Assess the client's blood pressure and take an apical pulse

Notify the healthcare provider because the pacemaker is not sensing properly

Answer and Explanation

The Correct Answer is D

A.   Instructing the client to remain quiet may reduce stress or activity but does not address the issue of the pacemaker not sensing properly.
B.   Continuing to monitor without addressing the malfunction is inappropriate because this could lead to complications or inappropriate pacing.
C.   Assessing blood pressure and pulse is important for patient safety but the priority is addressing the pacemaker's malfunction by notifying the healthcare provider.
D.   The pacemaker should sense the client's intrinsic beats to avoid inappropriate pacing. If it is firing on the T wave or at inappropriate times, it indicates a sensing issue that needs to be addressed by the healthcare provider.

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Correct Answer is C

Explanation

A. Counting the number of large squares between R-R intervals and dividing by 30 is not the correct method for estimating the ventricular rate on an ECG strip.
B. Printing a 1-minute ECG strip and counting the QRS complexes (option B) is accurate but unnecessary for a quick estimation.
C. The most common and efficient method for estimating the ventricular rate quickly is to count the number of QRS complexes in a 6-second strip (often marked by two dashed lines) and multiply by 10. This gives an estimate of the heart rate per minute.
D. Counting the number of small squares between QRS complexes and dividing by 1500 is the most accurate method but requires more time and precision than counting QRS complexes in 6 seconds.

A. Perform carotid massage on the client B. Administer adenosine 12mg IV push STAT C. Prepare the client for electrical cardioversion D. Assess patient and obtain vital signs

Correct Answer is D

Explanation

A. Carotid massage can be used as a vagal maneuver for certain types of supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), particularly in stable patients. However, it is not recommended in cases where the patient has a history of cocaine use or is showing signs of instability because of the potential for triggering a serious event, like a stroke.
B. Adenosine is a medication commonly used for the treatment of SVT. However, it should be given with caution and only after assessing the patient's condition. In this case, the patient needs to be assessed first, including vital signs, level of consciousness, and overall stability, before any medications are administered.
C. Electrical cardioversion is indicated for unstable SVT (e.g., signs of hemodynamic instability such as hypotension, chest pain, or altered mental status). However, this patient is only reporting a "racing heart" and nervousness and has not yet been assessed for vital signs or other clinical symptoms.
D. The first step in this case should be to assess the patient's condition. This includes checking the vital signs, level of consciousness, and overall stability. Once this initial assessment is performed, the nurse can then determine whether medications or other interventions (like adenosine or cardioversion) are needed.

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LAB	Result	Normal Range
Potassium	2.8 mEq/L	3.5-5.3mEq/L
Sodium	133 mEq/L	135-145 mEqL
Chloride	90 mEq/L	97-107 mEqL
Glucose	200 mg/dL	70mg/dL to 110mg/dL
Magnesium	2.5 mg/dL	1.6-2.2 mg/dL

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The nurse is caring for a client who has had a temporary transvenous pacemaker inserted. The cardiac monitor shows pacemaker spikes occurring at various points in the client's own beats such as on the T wave. What action is the nurse's priority?

Nursing Test Bank

Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams

Correct Answer is C

Explanation

Correct Answer is D

Explanation

Labs

Study Resources

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The nurse is caring for a client who has had a temporary transvenous pacemaker inserted. The cardiac monitor shows pacemaker spikes occurring at various points in the client's own beats such as on the T wave. What action is the nurse's priority?

Nursing Test Bank

Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams

When using an ECG rhythm strip to quickly estimate the ventricular rate for a client, the nurse should:

Correct Answer is C

Explanation

A client presents to the Emergency Department (ED) complaining of a "racing" heart and nervousness. The client also admits to a history of cocaine abuse. The cardiac monitor displays the rhythm below. Which nursing intervention should the nurse perform?

Correct Answer is D

Explanation

The nurse is performing the initial assessment of a client diagnosed with heart failure. Which question should the nurse ask to best assess the client's respiratory status?

The nurse is evaluating the outcomes for a client diagnosed with disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). Which laboratory value reflects a positive outcome?

The client problem of Activity Intolerance related to decrease in cardiac reserve is identified for a client with chronic heart failure. Which intervention should the nurse include in the plan of care related to this problem?

The nurse is caring for a client with acute heart failure who is severely dyspneic and extremely anxious. The nurse anticipates that increased cardiac output and decreased anxiety may be promoted by the IV administration of:

A patient is prescribed 250 mL of packed red blood cells to be transfused over 120 minutes. The drop factor on the tubing is 15 gtt/mL. At what rate should the nurse regulate the IV (gtt/min)? (round to the nearest whole number)

Labs

The nurse is caring for a client receiving a heparin infusion for disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). Which of the following lab results would indicate a sub-therapeutic level? An activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) of :……. (normal value: 25-35 seconds)

The nurse is caring for a client diagnosed with disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). When completing an assessment for decreased perfusion from clotting, the nurse would observe for which manifestation?