The nurse is talking with the patient when the monitor alarms and shows a wavy baseline without a PQRST complex. The nurse should:
a. defibrillate the patient immediately.
b. initiate basic life support.
c. initiate advanced life support.
d. assess the patient and the electrical leads.
D
Ventricular fibrillation (VF) is a chaotic rhythm characterized by a quivering of the ventricles, which results in total loss of cardiac output and pulse. VF is a life-threatening emergency, and the more immediate the treatment is, the better the survival will be. VF produces a wavy baseline without a PQRST complex. Because a loose lead or electrical interference can produce a waveform similar to VF, it is always important to immediately assess the patient for pulse and consciousness.
You might also like to view...
Clients at risk for postoperative infections include all of the following except those who have a history of
A. Previous surgeries. B. Obesity. C. Prolonged antibiotic therapy. D. Corticosteroid therapy.
The client is a kinesthetic learner. Which teaching method would be best to teach this client about her newly prescribed diet?
a. Have her tell you what foods she should eat. b. Show the client pictures of the foods that are allowed and not allowed on her diet. c. Have the client plan meals using food models. d. Give the client a written description of the diet.
A child brings unlabeled medications in a plastic bag to the school nurse. What should the nurse do?
a. Call the parent or guardian for the labeled pharmacy bottle. b. Administer the medication that day and send a note home. c. Administer the medication if the child can identify the medication d. Allow the student to take his or her own medication.
The son of an 80-year-old patient tells the nurse, "I'm starting to worry about my father's eating habits. He lives alone and has been able to cook, but now he doesn't want to cook and says he is too tired to go to the store
" What is the most appropriate response by the nurse? a. "We may need to contact the physician for a nutritional assessment." b. "Your family members will need to get together and bring him meals." c. "It may be time for you to think about nursing home placement." d. "What are your feelings on using some community resources such as Meals on Wheels?"