Question

a nurse is preparing to administer digoxin to a 6-month-old infant. prior to administering the dose, the nurse should withhold the dose if the infants apical heart rate is less than what rate?

Explanation:

Identify the clinical scenario and drug

The question asks for the heart rate threshold below which digoxin should be withheld in a 6-month-old infant. Digoxin is a cardiac glycoside used to treat heart failure and certain arrhythmias. It slows the heart rate while increasing myocardial contractility.

Determine pediatric digoxin parameters

In pediatric nursing, assessing the apical pulse for a full minute is mandatory before administering digoxin. The threshold for withholding digoxin varies by age:

• For infants (under 1 year of age), the medication is withheld if the apical heart rate is less than 90 beats per minute (bpm).
• For young children, the threshold is typically less than 70 bpm.
• For adults, the threshold is less than 60 bpm.

Apply the threshold to the patient's age

The patient is a 6-month-old infant. Since 6 months falls under the infant category (less than 1 year), the nurse must withhold the dose if the apical heart rate is less than 90/min.

Answer:

A nurse is preparing to administer digoxin to a 6-month-old infant. Prior to administering the dose, the nurse should withhold the dose if the infant's apical heart rate is less than what rate? <blank>90</blank> /min