Question

A medical assistant is performing an EKG on a patient who has a heart rate of 105 per minute. The assistant should identify this finding as an indication of which of the following conditions?

1) Atrial fibrillation
2) Sinus tachycardia
3) Ventricular fibrillation
4) First-degree atrioventricular block

Answer 1

A heart rate of 105 per minute on an EKG is most indicative of sinus tachycardia, where the heart rhythm is regular but faster than normal. It differs from atrial fibrillation, ventricular fibrillation, and first-degree atrioventricular block, which have distinctive and differing EKG presentations.

Step-by-step explanation:

A medical assistant performing an EKG on a patient with a heart rate of 105 per minute may identify this finding primarily as an indication of sinus tachycardia. Sinus tachycardia is a condition where the heart rate is elevated above the normal resting rate, usually over 100 beats per minute in adults. The heart rhythm remains regular but faster than normal. It may be caused by physiological responses such as exercise, stress, or illness. Other conditions mentioned, like atrial fibrillation, would show a very irregular heartbeat on the EKG, ventricular fibrillation would present as a life-threatening emergency with a severely abnormal EKG pattern, and a first-degree atrioventricular block would be characterized by a prolonged PR interval on the EKG rather than an increased heart rate.