Question

A nurse is reviewing the medication administration record for a client diagnosed with heart disease. The nurse demonstrates thorough understanding of medications that affect cardiac functioning by identifying which of the following as most likely being used to treat the client's irregular heart rhythm?

a) Amiodarone
b) Captopril
c) Nitroglycerine
d) Digoxin

Answer 1

Amiodarone is identified as the medication used to treat a client's irregular heart rhythm because it is a potassium channel blocker that works on cardiac dysrhythmias by affecting the repolarization phase of the heart's action potential.

Step-by-step explanation:

A nurse reviewing the medication administration record for a client diagnosed with heart disease and identifying the most likely medication used to treat the client's irregular heart rhythm would correctly identify amiodarone as a common choice. Amiodarone is a potassium channel blocker, often prescribed for cardiac dysrhythmias, which are abnormal electrical activities within the heart. It works by impeding the flow of potassium ions through voltage-gated potassium channels, which would affect the repolarization and the duration of the action potential in cardiac cells. This is crucial for restoring normal heart rhythm in conditions like atrial fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia.

While other medications listed, such as captopril and digoxin, have their respective roles in managing heart diseases such as heart failure and hypertension, nitroglycerin is predominantly used for managing angina pectoris. For the specific indication of an irregular heart rhythm, amiodarone is the drug most relevant to the treatment regimen.