A 60-year-old male patient is admitted with chest pain to the telemetry unit where you work. While having a bowel movement on the bedside commode, the patient becomes short of breath and diaphoretic. The ECG waveform shows bradycardia.
- What other assessment findings should you anticipate?
- Why does this patient probably have bradycardia?
- Does this dysrhythmia need treatment? Why or why not? What intervention would you implement first?
- What is the drug treatment and dosage of choice for symptomatic bradycardia? How does this drug increase heart rate?