Question

A nurse records a pulse rate of 170 beats/min on a client's electronic health record. For which client would this be considered a normal assessment finding?

1) Newborn baby
2) Child
3) Adult
4) Elderly person

Answer 1

A pulse rate of 170 beats/min is normal for a newborn baby but considered tachycardia in adults and elderly individuals. Newborns normally have higher heart rates than older children and adults, and this rate is expected to slow down as they age. The percent uncertainty for an infant pulse rate of 130 ± 5 beats/min would be approximately 3.85%.

Step-by-step explanation:

A pulse rate of 170 beats/min is considered abnormal and high for adults and elderly individuals, whose normal resting heart rates typically range from 60 to 100 beats per minute. Such a high pulse rate, known as tachycardia in adults, may be an indicator of a health issue and may accompany symptoms like dizziness, shortness of breath, or chest pain. However, for a newborn baby, a pulse rate of 170 beats/min is within the normal range, as newborns have naturally higher heart rates than older children and adults. The heart rates for newborns can often be higher than 100 beats per minute but are expected to decrease as the child grows.

When measuring an infant's pulse rate, if it is determined to be 130 ± 5 beats/min, the percent uncertainty can be calculated by dividing the absolute uncertainty by the measured value and then multiplying by 100. The calculation would be as follows: (5 / 130) × 100%, resulting in an approximate percent uncertainty of 3.85%.