Difficulty: Medium
Average Score: 77%
Full-length
The nurse is monitoring a client's EKG strip and notes coupled premature ventricular contractions greater than 10 per minute. The nurse should expect to administer which of the following?
Correct answer
D
Rationale
Lidocaine is the drug of choice for frequent (>6ÔÇô10/min) or coupled premature ventricular contractions (PVCs), as it suppresses ventricular arrhythmias and prevents ventricular tachycardia. Atropine (A) treats bradycardia, isoproterenol (B) is used for heart block, and verapamil (C) is a calcium-channel blocker for supraventricular arrhythmias.