Arrhythmia

An arrhythmia is an abnormal heart rate or rhythm that can range from benign to immediately life-threatening. Pulseless ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation are shockable and require immediate defibrillation, whereas asystole and pulseless electrical activity are not shocked but treated with CPR and medications. Always correlate the monitor tracing with the client’s actual pulse and level of consciousness — treat the client, not the monitor.