Dysrhythmias Practice Questions
You are the nurse working on the telemetry unit and you have finally gotten to sit down to work
on some charting. Suddenly the heart monitors at the station start beeping. Patient in room 18
is showing this rhythm on the monitor. The medical team advances together into the room and
finds them unconscious. What is priority action by the nurse?
A) Prepare to administer adenosine to the patient
B) Begin chest compressions
C) Prepare for defibrillation
D) Check for a pulse - correct anwersAnswer: D
A pulse would be assessed for first. Then the patient will be defibrillized and chest compressions
will begin immediately.
The patient who has recently been experiencing runs of ventricular tachycardia suddenly loses
consciousness. The patient is defibrillated, and the rate returns as the following. What should
the nurse do first?
A) Begin compressions
B) Shock the client again immediately
C) Prepare for intubation
D) Administer adenosine - correct anwersAnswer: A
Following defibrillation, CPR is immediately initiated if a perfusable rhythm is not initiated. The
client may need to be shocked again, but chest compressions must begin first.
The patient with a history of hypertension and diabetes has the following rhythm strip. The
patient's vitals are as follows: BP 145/89, HR 90, SpO2 95%, RR 19. Which of the following does
the nurse expect to do at this time?
, a) Prepare the client for cardioversion STAT
b) Begin administering anticoagulants
c) Grab the crash cart for administration of adenosine
d) Teach the client about possibility of pacemaker installation - correct anwersAnswer: B
Atrial flutter places the client at high risk for development of clot formation in the atria. Because
the client is stable at this time, cardioversion or adenosine would not be performed at this time.
Before cardioversion can occur in a patient, anticoagulant therapy should be begun at least 48
hours beforehand if possible.
The nurse is preparing to administer adenosine to the patient with the following rhythm which
is symptomatic. What should the nurse plan on having in the patient room? Select All That
Apply:
a) Physician
b) Crash cart
c) IV pump
d) EKG monitor
e) Lidocaine - correct anwersAnswer: A, B, and D
Adenosine is administered as a very quick IV push. The physician must be present in the room
and the crash cart must be on hand. An ekg monitor should be in the room to monitor the
effectiveness of the medication.
The nurse has just administered adenosine via IV push and sees the following rhythm on the
monitor. What is the nurse's priority intervention?
a) Apply conductive gel and defibrillate the patient
b) Document the findings and continue to monitor
c) Administer another mg of the medication
d) Begin chest compressions - correct anwersAnswer: B
You are the nurse working on the telemetry unit and you have finally gotten to sit down to work
on some charting. Suddenly the heart monitors at the station start beeping. Patient in room 18
is showing this rhythm on the monitor. The medical team advances together into the room and
finds them unconscious. What is priority action by the nurse?
A) Prepare to administer adenosine to the patient
B) Begin chest compressions
C) Prepare for defibrillation
D) Check for a pulse - correct anwersAnswer: D
A pulse would be assessed for first. Then the patient will be defibrillized and chest compressions
will begin immediately.
The patient who has recently been experiencing runs of ventricular tachycardia suddenly loses
consciousness. The patient is defibrillated, and the rate returns as the following. What should
the nurse do first?
A) Begin compressions
B) Shock the client again immediately
C) Prepare for intubation
D) Administer adenosine - correct anwersAnswer: A
Following defibrillation, CPR is immediately initiated if a perfusable rhythm is not initiated. The
client may need to be shocked again, but chest compressions must begin first.
The patient with a history of hypertension and diabetes has the following rhythm strip. The
patient's vitals are as follows: BP 145/89, HR 90, SpO2 95%, RR 19. Which of the following does
the nurse expect to do at this time?
, a) Prepare the client for cardioversion STAT
b) Begin administering anticoagulants
c) Grab the crash cart for administration of adenosine
d) Teach the client about possibility of pacemaker installation - correct anwersAnswer: B
Atrial flutter places the client at high risk for development of clot formation in the atria. Because
the client is stable at this time, cardioversion or adenosine would not be performed at this time.
Before cardioversion can occur in a patient, anticoagulant therapy should be begun at least 48
hours beforehand if possible.
The nurse is preparing to administer adenosine to the patient with the following rhythm which
is symptomatic. What should the nurse plan on having in the patient room? Select All That
Apply:
a) Physician
b) Crash cart
c) IV pump
d) EKG monitor
e) Lidocaine - correct anwersAnswer: A, B, and D
Adenosine is administered as a very quick IV push. The physician must be present in the room
and the crash cart must be on hand. An ekg monitor should be in the room to monitor the
effectiveness of the medication.
The nurse has just administered adenosine via IV push and sees the following rhythm on the
monitor. What is the nurse's priority intervention?
a) Apply conductive gel and defibrillate the patient
b) Document the findings and continue to monitor
c) Administer another mg of the medication
d) Begin chest compressions - correct anwersAnswer: B
