A nurse is monitoring a client who is on telemetry. Which of the following findings on the ECG strip should the nurse recognize as normal sinus rhythm?
Explanation & Rationale
Rationale: A. A normal QRS duration is 0.06–0.10 seconds. A duration of 0.20 seconds indicates a ventricular conduction delay or bundle branch block, which is not normal sinus rhythm. B. A normal PR interval is 0.12–0.20 seconds. A measurement of 0.22 seconds suggests a first-degree heart block, which is an abnormal finding. C. Normally, T waves are upright in most leads. Inverted T waves can indicate ischemia, infarction, or electrolyte disturbances, which are not consistent with normal sinus rhythm. D. In normal sinus rhythm, the P wave precedes each QRS complex, reflecting proper atrial depolarization followed by ventricular depolarization. This relationship confirms that the electrical impulse is originating from the sinoatrial (SA) node, which defines normal sinus rhythm.