Question

When assessing a child's heart, which finding would be considered abnormal?

1) Increased heart rate
2) Regular heart rhythm
3) Normal heart sounds
4) Symmetric pulses

Answer 1

An increased heart rate could be an abnormal finding when assessing a child's heart, especially if it is accompanied by abnormal electrical patterns before QRS complexes and increased frequency of these complexes, potentially indicating an arrhythmia or other cardiac issues.

Step-by-step explanation:

Identifying Abnormal Cardiac Findings

When assessing a child's heart, finding number 1, an increased heart rate, may be considered abnormal depending on the context. An increased heart rate, or tachycardia, is typically defined as a heart rate (HR) over 100 beats per minute (bpm) in adults, but this cutoff is higher for children. However, if the electrical patterns on an EKG show an abnormal pattern prior to the QRS complexes and an increased frequency between them, this may suggest an arrhythmia or other cardiac issues, and the heart rate (pulse) would be expected to increase as well. When assessing abnormal heart rates, keep in mind that symptoms like dizziness, shortness of breath, or fainting, alongside tachycardia, might indicate a more serious condition requiring medical attention. While regular heart rhythm, normal heart sounds, and symmetric pulses tend to be normal findings, an increased heart rate may not be normal, particularly if accompanied by abnormal electrical patterns and clinical symptoms indicative of underlying pathology.