Practice Question
A nurse is caring for a client with chest pain who suddenly becomes unresponsive. The client is pulseless, and apneic. The code team places the client on the monitor which indicates ventricular fibrillation, what is the next priority action?
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Correct Answer:
Defibrillation
Rationale:
🔸When a client becomes pulseless and apneic, and the monitor shows ventricular fibrillation (V-fib), the immediate priority intervention is defibrillation.
🔸V-fib is a lethal arrhythmia characterized by disorganized electrical activity resulting in no effective cardiac output.
🔸It requires immediate unsynchronized defibrillation to restore a perfusing rhythm.
🔸CPR should begin while the defibrillator is being prepared, but defibrillation is the definitive treatment.
🔸Medications like epinephrine and amiodarone are supportive but follow defibrillation per Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) protocol.
🔸 Synchronized cardioversion is not appropriate for V-fib as there is no detectable R wave to sync with.
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This question is from RN ATI NSG232 which contains 40 questions.
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Question Details
- Category: RN Nursing Exam(s)
- Subcategory: ATI Exam(s)
- Domain: RN ATI MedSurg
- Answer Choices: 4