Practice Question
A nurse is preparing to administer digoxin to a client who has heart failure. Before administering this medication, which of the following actions should the nurse take?
Answer Choices:
Correct Answer:
Measure the client's apical pulse.
Rationale:
🟦 Digoxin slows the heart rate and increases cardiac contractility, so it's essential to assess the apical pulse for 1 full minute before administration.
🟦 If the apical pulse is below 60 bpm in adults (or age-appropriate threshold in children), the nurse should withhold the dose and notify the provider.
🟦 Monitoring the apical pulse helps prevent digoxin toxicity, which can cause bradycardia, arrhythmias, nausea, and visual disturbances.
🟦 This step ensures safe administration and protects the client from adverse cardiac effects due to digoxin’s narrow therapeutic range.
🟦 While weight and blood pressure are important for general heart failure monitoring, they are not the priority check before digoxin administration.
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This question is from RN ATI Advanced Concept Exam-240 which contains 65 questions.
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Question Details
- Category: RN Nursing Exam(s)
- Subcategory: ATI Exam(s)
- Domain: RN Concept-Based Assessment Level Exam(s)
- Answer Choices: 4