Arrhythmia

An arrhythmia is an abnormal heart rate or rhythm that may be benign or immediately life-threatening. Pulseless ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation are shockable and require immediate defibrillation, while asystole and PEA are not shocked and are treated with CPR and epinephrine. Always treat the client, not the monitor — correlate any rhythm with the client’s actual pulse and level of consciousness before acting, since artifact or a lead problem can mimic a deadly rhythm.