The nurse is monitoring the client's cardiac rhythm. Based on this strip, which is the correct interpretation of this rhythm?
Explanation & Rationale
A. Atrial flutter: Atrial flutter shows a “sawtooth” pattern of flutter waves, typically regular, often with a consistent conduction ratio. This strip does not show flutter waves but irregular fibrillatory activity. B. Normal sinus rhythm: NSR is regular with a P wave before every QRS and consistent intervals. The strip lacks organized P waves and shows irregular R-R intervals, ruling out normal sinus rhythm. C. Sinus arrhythmia: Sinus arrhythmia involves a slight irregularity in rhythm, usually associated with breathing, but the P waves remain consistently visible. In this strip, the rhythm is highly irregular without clear P waves. D. Atrial fibrillation: Characterized by absent P waves and an irregularly irregular ventricular response, as observed in this ECG strip.