The client received IV conscious sedation (IVCS) during a cardioversion for atrial fibrillation. Which client data does the nurse expect immediately after the procedure?

Question

1. Ramsey sedation score 4
2. Responds to verbal stimuli
3. Sinus bradycardia, SaO2 95%
4. Thready bilateral radial pulses

Answer 1

2
2. Moderate sedation entails medicating the client with IV agents to induce relaxa-tion, sleepiness, amnesia, and analgesia without causing unresponsiveness, hypoten-sion, respiratory depression, or arrhythmias; the client who responds to verbal stimuli at the conclusion of the procedure matches the client sedation goal for moderate se-dation.
1. A sedation score of 4 indicates a brisk client response to a light tap on the forehead or loud auditory stimuli. This level is a deep level of sedation and potentially indi-cates excessive sedation or client complications.
3. Sinus bradycardia is a heart rate below 60 beats/min; it is too slow, usually to maintain an adequate cardiac output. The SaO2 is normal.
4. Thready pulses are consistent with clinical indicators for hypotension, cardiac arr-hythmia, and shock and are undesirable outcomes for a client after moderate seda-tion, especially for a cardioversion, because the client presented to the cardioversion with atrial fibrillation, a low cardiac output dysrhythmia. In addition, purpose of the cardioversion was to restore the client's cardiac rhythm to sinus rhythm, not sinus bradycardia. The nurse does not expect these findings.