What 4 questions should we ask ourselves to identify arrhythmias?
Sinus tachychardia pattern?
=> all normal except elevated HR (above 100 bpm)
PAC pattern?
What does PAC stand for?
Premature Atrial Contraction
Junctional rhythm pattern?
What are we talking about when we talk about anything that is junctional?
AV node
Would atrial depolarization be possible during junctional rhythm? If so, what would that look like on an EKG?
YES!
Would be a negative P wave right after the QRS because could go back up to the SA node after ventricular depolarization
May also be buried in the QRS and be completely absent
What is sinus arrhythmia? What is it due to?
Irregular beat generated by the SA node
Due to different vagal stimulation happening on a respiratory pattern
Sinus arrhythmia pattern?
LOOK AT RYTHM STRIP:
What is atrial flutter?
Re-entry counter-clockwise circuit in the RA going 300 bpm causing RA and LA depolarization
AV node protects the ventricles from this very fast bpm by only conducting a certain ratio of the depolarization cycles in a regular or irregular pattern (2:1 in young healthy people)
Overall there is a dissociation of rates between the atria and the ventricles
Atrial flutter EKG pattern?
What would happen if the 300 bpm in the atria was conducted to the ventricles during atrial flutter?
Ventricles would not fill with blood = death
What are the best leads to look at P waves?
Inferior leads
What is atrial fibrillation?
Atrial fibrillation pattern?
Difference between HR and heart rhythm?
The heart rate is the number of times the heart beats in a minute.
The heart rhythm is the pattern of the heart beat.
What is the classic irregular heart rhythm?
A-fib
What is multifocal atrial tachychardia?
At least 3 foci in the atria are signaling at a fast rate to the other atrial cells
Multifocal atrial tachychardia EKG pattern?
What does SVT stand for?
Supraventricular tachycardia
What is SVT? Mechanism? What arrhythmias does this include? What to note?
An umbrella term used to describe atrial and/or ventricular tachycardias with rates in excess of 100 bpm at rest: very narrow, rapid, and regular rhythm
Mechanism: increased rate generated by tissue from the His bundle or above.
Includes:
Note: while atrial fibrillation is technically an SVT, the term does not generally include Atrial Fibrillation
What is a subtype of AVRT? Explain it.
Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome (WPW syndrome): accessory pathway is on the lateral wall of the heart between the LV and the LA
Describe AVRT.
Re-entry circuit: AV node => His-Purkinje system => ventricular myocytes => accessory pathway of abnormal tissue connecting the atria and ventricles (developed in utero) => atria
AVRT EKG pattern?