Answer to Question 1
ANS: D
In atrial fibrillation, the symptoms generally depend on the ventricular response rate. The patient may be very symptomatic, with shortness of breath, decreased exercise tolerance, and fatigue, or he or she may be completely asymptomatic. In supraventricular tachycardia, the rate is usually quite high, up to 200 beats per minute, and the patient is aware of palpitations. There may be accompanying complaints of shortness of breath and fatigue, particularly if the arrhythmia persists for any length of time. With bigeminy and trigeminy, patients are usually aware of palpitations or the sensation of missed beats. They may complain of shortness of breath and probably have more of a complaint of weakness or lightheadedness rather than fatigue.
Answer to Question 2
ANS: A
A highly sensitive test for the diagnosis of myasthenia gravis is the measurement of serum levels of circulating acetylcholine receptor antibodies. The Tensilon test is definitive and involves blocking acetylcholine by administering edrophonium chloride. If the patient has myasthenia, the symtpoms will temproarily worsen after the administration of edrophonium chloride. Since thymomas also can be present in these patients, a computed tomography (CT) scan of the chest should be performed.
Taking a Patient’s Temperature with a Tympanic Thermometer
Patient teaching: female genetalia and reproductive tract assessment
Effective listening skills demonstrate empathy to the patient and break down barriers to communicati
A pacemaker in a patient’s chest.
Algorithm for assessing a patient at risk for self-directed violence.
Variations in patient response to drugs