Which drug's administration should the nurse withhold, based on this finding? A nurse is caring for a client who is on a continuous cardiac monitor. When evaluating the client's rhythm strip, the nurse notes that the QRS interval has increased from 0.08 second to 0.14 second.

The best answer to this is procainamide. This is known to increase qt intervals and qrs complexes. It can be alarming when the qrs increases by more than half of the usual and should not be administered to the patient. This should be reported immediately to the attending doctor so that proper procedures can be done.

Placing metoprolol, propafenone and verapamil can make the heart rate slower but will also increase the pr interval. These medications are not recommended to be administered based on what the patient is exhibiting. It is best that the findings will immediately be reported for the proper actions to be done.

Procainamide (pronestyl)-rationale: procainamide may cause an increased qrs complexes and qt intervals. if the qrs duration increases by more than 50%, then the nurse should withhold the drug and notify the physician of her finding. metoprolol may cause increased pr interval and bradycardia. propafenone and verapamil may cause bradycardia and atrioventricular blocks.client needs category: physiological integrityclient needs subcategory: pharmacological and parenteral therapiescognitive level: applicationreference: smeltzer, s.c., et al. brunner & suddarths textbook of medical surgical-nursing, 11th ed. philadelphia: lippincott williams & wilkins, 2008, p. 830.