The nurse admits a client into the emergency department who complains of light-headedness and nausea
During the assessment, the nurse determines that the radial pulse is 42 and regular, the cardiac monitor shows there are P waves present, the QRS complex is within normal limits, but there is no measurable PR interval because there is not a consistent relationship between the P waves and the QRS complexes. The nurse would interpret this dysrhythmia as: 1. Complete heart block.
2. Sinus bradycardia.
3. Atrial fibrillation.
4. Supraventricular tachycardia.
Complete heart block.
Rationale: Third-degree AV block, or complete block, is the independent excitation and contraction of the atria and ventricles due to the inability of any atrial impulses to reach the ventricles. In other words, the top and bottom of the heart are not communicating; they are beating independently. This results in no consistent meaningful PR interval. Sinus bradycardia and supraventricular tachycardia have consistent normal PR intervals. Atrial fibrillation does not have P waves, and therefore there is no PR interval.
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