Final answer:
Option C) Rate 200 beats/min; P wave not visible, corresponds to the nurse's observation of ventricular tachycardia (VT) on the patient's monitor because VT features an extremely high heart rate with absent P waves and broad QRS complexes.
Step-by-step explanation:
The nurse's evaluation leading to the interpretation of ventricular tachycardia (VT) would most closely match option C) Rate 200 beats/min; P wave not visible. This option indicates a heart rate (HR) significantly above 100 beats per minute without visible P waves, which are consistent with the characteristics of VT. In VT, the heart rate is typically very high, and the rhythm originates in the ventricles, which leads to the absence of P waves and broad QRS complexes on the ECG.
Tachycardia is defined as a HR above 100 bpm, and VT in particular is a type of tachycardia where the rate often exceeds 100 bpm, frequently around 200 bpm. The presence of VT on a patient's monitor should raise concern, as it can be a life-threatening arrhythmia that requires immediate medical attention. The corresponding ECG pattern would lack normal P waves, signaling that the atria are not initiating the heartbeats, and the rapid succession of QRS complexes indicates an abnormally fast ventricular rate.