A nurse is caring for a client with persistent atrial fibrillation. Which intervention is the priority?

a. The risk of emboli
b. Bradycardia with rate of 20-40
c. Assessing for shortness of breath or changes in level of consciousness
d. Sinoatrial node (SA), internodal pathways, atrioventricular (AV) node, AV bundle, Purkinje fibers