Tachycardia is defined as:

• A. A slower than normal heart rate
• B. A faster than normal heart rate
• C. High blood pressure
• D. Low oxygen in the blood

Answer: (B)

Tachycardia means a faster-than-normal heart rate. At rest, a normal adult heart rate is about 60 to 100 beats per minute; when it stays above 100 bpm, that condition is tachycardia. It’s about how quickly the heart is beating, not about blood pressure or how much oxygen is in the blood. For contrast, bradycardia is a slower-than-normal rate, while high blood pressure and low oxygen describe other issues (hypertension and hypoxemia, respectively).