A 52-year-old resident of a skilled nursing facility has hypertension and coronary artery disease. The LPN/VN enters to give a scheduled antihypertensive dose and finds a regular wide-complex rhythm at 165 beats/min on the cardiac monitor. The client has a pulse, is diaphoretic and reports dizziness and shortness of breath. BP is 84/52 mmHg, RR 24/min, SpO2 90% on room air and temperature 37.1°C. He is alert but anxious. The facility requires immediate emergency activation for clinical instability; this LPN/VN is not authorized or trained to independently perform synchronized cardioversion. What should the LPN/VN do first?
- Independently diagnose ventricular tachycardia and perform synchronized cardioversion before activating the emergency response.
- Document the rhythm and vital signs, then continue routine morning care without reporting the findings.
- Give the scheduled antihypertensive and wait one hour to recheck the client.
- Activate the facility emergency response immediately and report the rhythm and signs of instability to the RN and responding team.