A client has a heart rate of 170 beats per minute. For what will the nurse assess next in this client?
1. Increased cardiac output
2. Increased preload
3. Decreased afterload
4. Decreased cardiac output
Correct Answer: 4
Rationale 1: Cardiac output equals stroke volume heart rate. Since this client has a sustained rapid heart rate, the ventricles are most likely not having sufficient time to relax and refill between contractions, so the stroke volume will decrease.
Rationale 2: Preload refers to the degree to which muscle fibers in the ventricle are stretched at the end of the relaxation period.
Rationale 3: Afterload is reflective of systemic vascular resistance.
Rationale 4: Cardiac output equals stroke volume heart rate. Since this client has a sustained rapid heart rate, the ventricles are most likely not having sufficient time to relax and refill between contractions, so the stroke volume will decrease. At the rate of 170, the compensatory increase in heart rate is no longer helpful in increasing cardiac output. This leads to a decrease in cardiac output.
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