Nordgren: Basic Types of Arrythmias Flashcards
What is tachycardia?
Fast heart rate > 100 bpm
What is bradycardia?
Slow heart rate < 60 bpm
What is a supraventricular arrhythmia?
Arrhythmias that begin ABOVE the ventricles
What are ventricular arrhythmias?
Arrhythmias that begin in LOWER chambers of hte herat.
What is bradycardia?
Slowe heart rhythms, which may arise from diease in the herat’s conduction system (like in the SA node, AV node, or the HIS-purkinje system).
What are the four types of supraventricular arrhythmias?
- PACS (premature atrial contractions)
- PSVT (paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia
- Accessory pathway tachycardias
- AVNRT (AV nodal reentrant tachycardia
What type of arrhythmia is this?
PAC- premature atrial contraction
The early extra beats that originate in the atria.
What type of arrhtymia is this?
PSVT- paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia
A rapid, usually regular rhythm, originating from above the ventricles. PSVT begins and ENDS suddenly.
What type of arrhythmias is this?
Acessory pathway tachycardia (bypass tract tachycardia)
A rapid heart rhythm d/t an extra abnormal pathway or connection between the atria and the ventricles. The impulses travel through the extra pathways (short cuts) as well as the normal AV HIS purkinje system. This allows the impulses to travel around hte heartt very quickly, causing the heart to beat unsually fast.
What type of arrhythmia is this?
AVNRT- AV nodal reentrant tachycardia
- Atrial fibrillation
- Atrial flutter
A rapid heart rate d/t more than one pathway through the AV node.
What is atrial tachycardia?
A rapid heart rhythm originating in the atria.
What is atrial fibrillation?
A very common irregular heart rhythm. Many impulses begin and spread through the atria, competing for a chance to travel through the aV node. The resulting rhythm is disorganized, rapid and irregulkar b/c the impulses are traveling through the atria in a disorderly fashion. Leads to a loss of coordinated atrial contraction.
What is an atrial flutter?
An atrial arrhythmia caused by one or more rapid circuits in the atrium. Atrial flutter is usually more organized and regular than atrial fibrillation.
What type of arrythmia is this?
PVC- premature ventricular contraction
An early extra beat beginning in the ventricles. PVCs are hte MOST common. Most of the time they cause NO sxs and require no tx. In some people, PVCs can be related to stress, too much caffeine/nicotine/exercise.
They can, however, also be caused by heart disease or electrolyte imbalance.
What type of arrhythmias is this?
A rapid rhythm originating from the lower chambers of the heart. The rapid rate prevents the heart from filling adequately with blood, and less blood is able to pump through the body. This can be a more serious arrhythmia, especially in people with heart disease, and may be associated with more symptoms.
What type of arrhythmias is this?
Ventricular fibrillation
An erratic, disorganized firing of impulses from the ventricles. The ventricles quiver and are unable to contract or pump blood to the body. This is a medical emergency that must be treated with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation as soon as possible
Can’t discern P-wave or QRS complex
Can’t determine rate or rhythm
No PR interval
What type of arrhythmia is this?
Long QT syndrome
The QT interval is the area on the electrocardiogram which represents the time it takes for the heart muscle to contract and then recover, or the electrical impulse to fire impulses and then recharge. When the QT interval is longer than normal, it increases the risk for torsade de pointes, a life-threatening form of ventricular tachycardia
QT interval is prolonged if > ~450ms
This QT is nearly 600ms
What type of arrhythmia is this?
Sinus node dysfunction
A slow heart rhythm due to an abnormal SA (sinus) node.
Example: Sinus Arrest
What type of arrhythmia is this?
Heart Block
A delay or complete block of the electrical impulse as it travels from the sinus node to the ventricles. The level of the block or delay may occur in the AV node or HIS-Purkinje system. The heart may beat irregularly. (Often the heart rate is slower too.)
Example: Complete AV Block
P-wave and QRS complex are normal, but unrelated.
