The nurse notices ventricular tachycardia on the heart monitor.When the patient is assessed,the patient is found to be unresponsive with no pulse.The nurse should:

Question

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Ventricular tachycardia (VT)is a rapid,life-threatening dysrhythmia originating from a single ectopic focus in the ventricles.Determine whether the patient has a pulse.If no pulse is present,provide emergent basic and advanced life-support interventions,including defibrillation.If a pulse is present and the blood pressure is stable,the patient can be treated with intravenous amiodarone or lidocaine.Cardioversion is used as an emergency measure in patients who become hemodynamically unstable but continue to have a pulse.It also may be used in nonemergency situations,such as when a patient has asymptomatic VT.

The Nurse Notices Ventricular Tachycardia on the Heart Monitor