Nokea
A 75-year-old female presented to the emergency department with shortness of breath. The client's daughter is at the bedside and shares that the client has a history of heart failure. The nurse places the client on the cardiac monitor and finds that the client is in atrial fibrillation at a rate of 180 beats per minute. Which is a likely finding?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Atrial fibrillation at 180 beats/minute in heart failure loses atrial kick, slashing output hypotension follows as rapid, erratic beats fail to fill ventricles, a likely finding with this tachycardic chaos. Bounding pulses need strong ejection, not here. Lethargy or edema might emerge, but BP drop's immediate, tied to poor perfusion. Nurses expect this, anticipating rate control or fluids, a critical catch in this acute decompensation.