The nurse is examining the patient's cardiac rhythm strip in lead II and notices that all of the P waves are upright and look the same except one that has a different shape and is inverted.The nurse realizes that the P wave with the abnormal shape is probably:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Normally a P wave indicates that the SA node initiated the impulse that depolarized the atrium.However,a change in the shape of the P wave may indicate that the impulse arose from a site in the atria other than the SA node.The P wave represents atrial depolarization.It is usually upright in leads I and II and has a rounded,symmetrical shape.The amplitude of the P wave is measured at the center of the waveform and normally does not exceed three boxes,or 3 millimeters,in height.

The Nurse Is Examining the Patient's Cardiac Rhythm Strip in Lead