Question

When analyzing an electrocardiographic (ECG) rhythm strip of a patient with a regular cardiac rhythm, the nurse finds there are 25 small blocks from one R wave to the next. The nurse calculates the patient's heart rate as:

A) 50 beats per minute
B) 75 beats per minute
C) 100 beats per minute
D) 150 beats per minute

Answer 1

The nurse can calculate the patient's heart rate by counting the number of small blocks between each R wave on the ECG rhythm strip. In this case, there are 25 small blocks between each R wave, resulting in a heart rate of 60 beats per minute.

Step-by-step explanation:

The nurse can calculate the patient's heart rate by counting the number of small blocks between each R wave on the electrocardiographic (ECG) rhythm strip. In this case, there are 25 small blocks between each R wave. Each small block represents 40 milliseconds, so to calculate the heart rate in beats per minute, we can use the following formula:

Heart Rate (beats per minute) = 60 / (number of small blocks between R waves x 0.04)

Using the formula, the heart rate would be calculated as:

Heart Rate = 60 / (25 x 0.04) = 60 / 1 = 60 beats per minute