A client with hypercortisolism has an irregular pulse. Which is the nurse's priority intervention?
a. Documenting the finding and reassessing in 1 hour
b. Assessing blood pressure in both arms
c. Administering atropine sulfate
d. Assessing the telemetry reading
D
Hypercortisolism causes potassium imbalances, which can lead to fatal dysrhythmias. With an irregular pulse, the nurse should assess the client's cardiac rhythm. The finding should be docu-mented, but the nurse cannot wait an hour to take further action. Assessing bilateral blood pres-sures will not provide useful information. No indications for atropine are known.
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