Question

An EKG technician is recording a patient's radial pulse rate and finds the pulse to be irregular. The provider then takes the patient's apical pulse.

The technician should recognize that which of the following locations is used for this assessment?
a) To assess respiratory rate
b) To evaluate blood pressure
c) To monitor heart rhythm
d) To measure body temperature

Answer 1

The apical pulse assessment, taken by listening at the heart's apex, is used to monitor heart rhythm, which is especially important in the case of irregular peripheral pulse rates.

Step-by-step explanation:

When an EKG technician records the patient's radial pulse and finds it to be irregular, and the provider then takes the patient's apical pulse, the location used for this assessment is to monitor heart rhythm. The apical pulse is obtained by listening at the apex of the heart with a stethoscope, which often gives a more accurate reading of heart activity, especially if the rhythm is irregular.

Assessing the apical pulse is important in medical diagnostics, as it can provide information on heart rate and rhythm directly from the heart itself, rather than from the peripheral pulses, such as the radial pulse. This is because some cardiac contractions may not generate a pulse wave that can be felt at peripheral sites, which can result in a pulse deficit.