Consolidated Political Compass Test (CPCT) 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

A first-degree heart block is characterized by a delay in the conduction of electrical impulses through the atrioventricular (AV) node. In this condition, each electrical impulse from the atria reaches the ventricles, but the transmission is slowed. This delay is typically reflected on an electrocardiogram (ECG) as a prolonged PR interval, which indicates the time it takes for the electrical signal to move from the atria to the ventricles. While the heart continues to beat regularly, the delay can be significant enough to be detected but does not usually lead to serious complications or symptoms.

Other choices describe different cardiac arrhythmias or conditions. Intermittent loss of beats is indicative of a type of second-degree block, where some impulses do not reach the ventricles. A rapid heart rate over 100 bpm is not a characteristic of first-degree block; it's more associated with tachycardia or other forms of arrhythmia. Lastly, a complete blockage of cardiac electrical signals would relate to a third-degree heart block, where there is a total disconnection between atrial and ventricular activity. Thus, the unique aspect of first-degree heart block is the delayed conduction through the AV node without complete interruption of the electrical signals.