A nurse checked the pulse of a patient and found the pulse rate is 120 per minute; it is called?

Appeared in: IGNOU Post B. SC. Nursing entrance -2021

Explanation

Tachycardia is the medical term for a heart rate that is faster than the normal range.
The normal resting heart rate for an adult is between 60 and 100 beats per minute (bpm).
A pulse rate of 120 bpm is above 100 bpm and therefore falls into the category of tachycardia.

Option B: This term refers to an extremely high body temperature (fever), not a rapid heart rate.
Option C: This term describes a rapid respiratory (breathing) rate, not the pulse rate.
Option D: This term refers to an irregular heart rhythm or pattern. The question only specifies the rate (speed) of the pulse, not its regularity.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Knowing Medical terminology for abnormal vital signs, specifically heart rate helps nurses interpret findings accurately and avoid errors in routine assessment, medication administration, and patient teaching.
Promptly identifying tachycardia is a crucial nursing skill as it can be an early sign of serious conditions like hypovolemia (low blood volume), sepsis, or cardiac distress.
When a nurse detects tachycardia, the priority is to assess the patient for associated symptoms like dizziness, shortness of breath, or chest pain, and to investigate the underlying cause (e.g., pain, fever, anxiety, dehydration).
What if? If the patient's pulse was 50 per minute, the correct term would be Bradycardia, which is a heart rate below 60 bpm.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the key clinical finding in the question: a pulse rate of 120 per minute.
Recall the normal range for an adult pulse rate, which is 60-100 beats per minute.
Compare the given value (120 bpm) to the normal range. Since it is above the upper limit, you are looking for the term that means 'fast heart rate'.
Systematically evaluate each option by its definition:
Tachycardia: Fast heart rate.
Hyperpyrexia: High fever.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Medical terminology for abnormal vital signs, specifically heart rate.
Stem keywords: pulse, pulse rate, 120 per minute
Lead-in keywords: it is called
Negative lead-in flag: false

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E6 Nursing Fundamentals Taylor p. 124-126

E6 Medicine Macleod Clinical Examination 15e p. 60-62

E6 Medicine Davidson Principles Practice 24e p. 488-490

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