4: Cardiac arrythmias *review with updated lectures*

Question 1

Arrythmias are generally named for their:

anatomical site or chamber of ___

___

Answer 1

origin

mechanism

Question 2

Where in the heart could a supraventricular arrythmia originate from?

Answer 2

Anywhere above the ventricles - sinoatrial node, atrial muscle, atrioventricular node, Bundle of His…

Question 3

Name three types of supraventricular tachycardia.

Answer 3

Atrial fibrillation

Atrial flutter

Ectopic atrial tachycardia

Question 4

Other than tachycardias, what other kind of arrythmia can occur supraventricularly?

Answer 4

Bradycardias

e.g sinus bradycardia, sinus pauses

Question 5

Name four ventricular arrythmias.

Answer 5

Ventricular ectopic beats / Premature Ventricular Complexes (PVCs)

Ventricular tachycardia

Ventricular fibrillation

Asystole

Question 6

Name three types of AV node arrythmias.

Answer 6

AVN re-entry tachycardia

?AV re-entrant tachycardia

AV block (1st, 2nd & 3rd degree)

Question 7

Which type of hypertrophy can cause arrythmia?

Answer 7

Left ventricular hypertrophy

Question 8

What is an ectopic beat?

Answer 8

A heartbeat or rhythm which originates in a place other than the SA nod

Question 9

What is re-entry?

Answer 9

Electrical signal passes down some pathway and back up an alternate one, generating ectopic beats

Question 10

Which syndrome is characterised by accessory pathway tachycardia, due to re-entrant signals?

Answer 10

Wolf-Parkinson-White syndrome

Question 11

What historic events can lead to arrythmias due to re-entrant electrical signals?

Answer 11

Previous myocardial infarction

Congenital heart disease

Question 12

What happens if ectopic beats start to occur faster than the sinus rhythm of the heart?

Answer 12

The ectopic beats take over the heart’s intrinsic rhythm –> tachycardia

Question 13

The level of danger presented by a tachycardia depends on how it affects the ___ ___.

Answer 13

cardiac output