Ventricular tachycardia is caused by a re-entrant circuit that is limited to the ventricles. This is a medical emergency since it can degenerate into ventricular fibrillation. Classification Classification Description Monomorphic ventricular tachycardia Uniform QRS complexes – usually due to reentry…
Torsades de pointes is a polymorphic ventricular tachycardia with a characteristic “twisting” (oscillating QRS amplitude). It is commonly caused by hypomagnesemia.
Tachyarrhythmias are arrhythmias with HR > 100 bpm. Symptoms occur because the heart beats too fast to allow it to fill during diastole. Narrow QRS Complex Tachyarrhythmias Arrhythmia EKG First-line treatment (stable) Sinus tachycardia Sinus rhythm with bradycardia Non necessary…
Bundle branch blocks (BBB) Bundle branch blocks are characterized by an interruption in ventricular conduction at the bundle of His, usually due to ischemia. The ventricles do not depolarize at the same time. RBBB affects the right ventricle while LBBB…
Sinus bradycardia is a heart rate of < 60 bpm, with a normal sinus rhythm
An atrioventricular (AV) nodal block is a conduction disorder that is characterized by an interruption between the sinoatrial node and atrioventricular node (PR interval), resulting in an elongation of the PR interval (> 0.2 sec). It is congenital in some…
Bradyarrhythmias are characterized by a heart rate of < 60 bpm
An arrhythmia is an abnormal heart rhythm due to a disruption in normal electrical conduction. Atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia. Main classification of arrhythmias Classification Description Examples Bradyarrhythmias HR < 60 bpm Supraventricular: atrial fibrillation, atriventricular nodal reentrant…
Sudden cardiac death is unexpected death from cardiac causes in persons without symptoms of heart disease or within one hour of the onset of symptoms. It frequently occurs in the morning hours and evening as the adrenergic system kicks in…
Wellen’s syndrome is a clinical syndrome characterized by biphasic or deep inversion of T waves in V2 – V3, in a patient with chest pain that has resolved. It is seen in critical stenosis of the left anterior descending artery…