✓ Correct answer: B. FalseAfter initiating external pacing, you should not assess the carotid pulse to confirm mechanical capture.<br/><br/>External pacing is a method of providing electrical stimulation to pace the heart and increase the heart rate in patients with symptomatic bradycardia or heart blocks that are unresponsive to medications.<br/><br/>The electrical stimulation during external pacing may cause muscular jerking that can mimic the carotid pulse, leading to a false sense of mechanical capture.<br/><br/>Instead, the provider should monitor the patient's cardiac rhythm and the presence of electrical capture on the ECG monitor. This is confirmed by observing consistent pacing spikes on the ECG tracing, which indicate that the electrical impulse is reaching the heart and causing depolarization.
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