Question

A healthy adult client is seeing a health care provider for an annual physical examination. While the nurse is taking the client's vital signs, the client states, "Occasionally, my heart skips a beat." The nurse believes that the client is experiencing what condition?

Answer 1

An adult client mentioning that their heart occasionally 'skips a beat' may likely be experiencing an arrhythmia, which includes irregular, too fast (tachycardia), or too slow (bradycardia) heart rhythms.

Step-by-step explanation:

When a client mentions that their heart "skips a beat" occasionally, the nurse is likely considering the possibility that the client is experiencing an arrhythmia. Arrhythmias can manifest as irregular heartbeats, which might feel like a missed or extra beat. This condition encompasses instances where the heartbeat is irregular, too fast (tachycardia), or too slow (bradycardia). For adults, a normal resting heart rate (HR) ranges between 60-100 beats per minute (bpm). Symptoms of arrhythmias may include palpitations, or a feeling of a pause between beats. It's crucial, however, to determine the context and frequency of these skipped beats to assess whether they indicate a significant health concern. Tachycardia is defined as a resting HR above 100 bpm and can be caused by stress, fever, anemia, among other conditions, while bradycardia occurs when the resting rate drops below 60 bpm. If a client is not experiencing other symptoms, these conditions might not be immediately concerning, but further assessment is needed to rule out underlying causes that require treatment. Understanding the full scope of the client's health and any accompanying symptoms is key in forming an accurate diagnosis and prescribing appropriate care.