Question

A nurse is watching a client's ECG monitor and notes that the client's rhythm has changed from a normal sinus rhythm to supraventricular tachycardia. The client is conscious with a HR of 200-210 bpm and has a faint radial pulse. The nurse should anticipate assisting with which of the following interventions?

a. delivery of precordial thump
b. vagal stimulation
c. administration of atropine IV
d. defibrillation

Answer 1

The nurse should anticipate assisting with vagal stimulation as an intervention for a client with supraventricular tachycardia.

Step-by-step explanation:

The nurse should anticipate assisting with vagal stimulation as an intervention for a client with supraventricular tachycardia. Vagal stimulation helps to slow down the heart rate by activating the parasympathetic nervous system. This can be done by performing a vagal maneuver such as the Valsalva maneuver or carotid sinus massage.

The nurse observing a patient with supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) and a heart rate (HR) of 200-210 bpm should anticipate assisting with vagal stimulation techniques. Vagal maneuvers, such as the Valsalva maneuver or carotid sinus massage, can help in slowing the heart rate by increasing parasympathetic tone. Given that the patient is conscious and has a faint radial pulse, immediate, non-invasive interventions like vagal stimulation are preferred as the first line of treatment before considering more invasive procedures.

While defibrillation is critical for life-threatening arrhythmias such as ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia, it is not the first-line intervention for a conscious patient with SVT. The administration of IV atropine is generally used in the setting of bradycardia, not tachycardia. The delivery of a precordial thump is a rare and outdated practice that may be used in very specific instances of witnessed, monitored, unstable ventricular tachycardia when no defibrillator is available.