Question

The assistive nursing personnel reports that the heart rate of the sleeping 23 year old athlete, who is hospitalized following complications of a tonsillectomy, is 56. The assistive nursing personnel states that this is 10 beats per minute slower than when she took it earlier in the evening. The nurse knows that this is considered:

A. Normal, and they will continue to monitor the vital signs as ordered
B. Abnormally slow, and the health care provider should be notified immediately
C. Abnormally slow, and the nurse will recheck the heart rate before taking any action
D. Abnormally slow, signaling that the client may be hemorrhaging

Answer 1

A heart rate of 56 beats per minute in a sleeping 23-year-old athlete is considered abnormally slow, but not clinically significant if there are no other symptoms.

Step-by-step explanation:

Based on the information provided, a heart rate of 56 beats per minute in a sleeping 23-year-old athlete is considered abnormally slow. In a resting adult, a heart rate below 60 bpm is known as bradycardia. However, since the athlete is not exhibiting any other symptoms, such as weakness or chest discomfort, it is not considered clinically significant.

Therefore, the correct answer is C. Abnormally slow, and the nurse will recheck the heart rate before taking any action.