Question

The client is admitted to the emergency department with the chief complaint of "My heart is racing." Upon initiated cardiac monitoring, the nurse discovers that the client has a sustained heart rate of 170 beats per minute. The nurse then assesses the client for which of the following?

Answer 1

The nurse should assess a patient with a heart rate of 170 bpm for dizziness, shortness of breath, and other signs of tachycardia. Tachycardia in a resting patient is a heart rate over 100 bpm and can be caused by various factors, with treatment depending on the underlying cause.

Step-by-step explanation:

When a client presents with a complaint of "My heart is racing" and is found to have a sustained heart rate of 170 beats per minute, the nurse should assess the client for symptoms that may suggest a more serious underlying condition. These symptoms include dizziness, shortness of breath, lightheadedness, rapid pulse, heart palpitations, chest pain, and fainting (syncope). Tachycardia, defined as a heart rate above 100 bpm, is not normal in a resting patient and can be caused by various factors such as extreme stress, fever, anemia, hypoxia, hyperthyroidism, catecholamine hypersecretion, cardiomyopathies, valve disorders, or acute radiation exposure. Normal resting heart rates can exceed 100 bpm in children without it being considered tachycardia. Treatment of tachycardia is dependent on the underlying cause and may include medications, implantable cardioverter defibrillators, ablation, or surgery.