Certified EkG technician (CET) Practice Exam

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What does a patient exhibiting arrhythmia with a heart rate under 60/min suggest?

Bradycardia
Tachycardia
Pulsus alternans
Premature ventricle contraction

The correct answer is: Bradycardia

A patient exhibiting arrhythmia with a heart rate under 60 beats per minute suggests bradycardia. This condition is characterized by a slower than normal heart rate, typically defined as fewer than 60 beats per minute. While arrhythmia refers to any irregularity in heart rhythm, bradycardia specifically indicates a reduced rate of contraction, which can result from various factors including increased vagal tone, certain medications, or underlying heart conditions. This slowing of the heart rate can lead to symptoms such as dizziness, fatigue, and in severe cases, fainting, due to insufficient blood flow to the body. The other choices relate to different cardiovascular phenomena: tachycardia refers to a rapid heart rate above 100 beats per minute, pulsus alternans involves alternating strong and weak pulses, and premature ventricular contractions are extra heartbeats that disrupt the normal rhythm, but none of these describe a heart rate under 60 beats per minute in the context of arrhythmia.