Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN) Practice Test

Which term describes agents that affect the rate at which electricity moves through the heart?

1. Dromotropes

2. Chronotropes

3. Inotropes

4. Contractility agents

The correct answer is: Dromotropes

The term that describes agents affecting the rate at which electricity moves through the heart is dromotropes. Dromotropic agents specifically influence the conduction speed of electrical impulses through the cardiac tissues, particularly affecting the atrioventricular (AV) node where impulses are transmitted from the atria to the ventricles. While chronotropes relate to the heart rate, influencing the speed of electrical impulses is more accurately defined by dromotropic agents. Inotropic agents primarily deal with the force and strength of the heart's contractions rather than the electrical conduction, and contractility agents also focus on strength rather than the rate of electrical impulses. Thus, understanding these distinctions clarifies why dromotropes is the correct term for agents that affect the movement of electricity in the heart.