Anti-dysrhythmic Drugs Flashcards
How is dysrhythmia classified ?
Site of origin - atria/ventricles
Types of rhythmic disturbance - increased/decreased and regular/irregular
What is dysthymia ?
Disturbance of cardiac rhythm
Define atrial tachycardia ?
Heart rate of 150-240 bpm
Regular beating
Define atrial flutter
Heart rate 240-350bpm
Regular beating
Define atrial fibrillation
Irregular beating
Tachycardia and flutter often lead to this
Some people are asymptotic while others have pain, palpitations and dizziness
Define ventricular tachycardia
120-300bpm heart rate
Regular beating
Define ventricular fibrillation
Irregular beating that can be fatal in minutes
Why do dysrhythmias arise ?
Caused by changes in generation or conduction of electrical impulses
Explain abnormal impulse generation ?
AUTOMATICITY- increased pacemaker activity
TRIGGERED ACTIVITY- when an ectopic beat arises after a normal beat
Explain abnormal impulse conduction
HEART BLOCK - when impulses don’t travel through SAN to AVN properly
REENTRY - propagating impulse fails to die out
Explain automaticity
Also called ectopic pacemaker activity
It results from increased sympathetic stimulation and by partial depolarisation that can occur during ischaemia due to increased extracellular potassium levels
Causes increase phase 4 depolarisation and it can also cause normally quiescent tissue to undergo spontaneous rhythms
Explain triggered activity
EARLY AFTER DEPOLARISATION
- an extra AP before previous one reaches baseline caused by deactivation of L-type calcium channels
-results from sympathetic stimulation and heart failure
DELAYED AFTER DEPOLARISATION
- an extra AP after previous ap has returned to baseline
- caused by increased intracellular calcium levels which activate sodium/calcium exchanger which pumps out a calcium for 3 sodium in so a net increase of +1 causing depolarisation
Results scroll, sympathetic stimulation, heart.failure and cardiac glycosides
Explain re-entry
When an electrical impulse re-excites regions of the myocardium
- normally an impulse propagates in both directions and once they meet they die out but if a damaged area cause either a transient block or a unidirectional block continuous circulation of this impulse occurs
What are the 4 classes of anti-dysrhythmic drugs ?
1-sodium channel blockers 2-beta blockers 3- potassium channel blockers 4- calcium channel blockers Also cardiac glycosides
What is the aim of anti-dysrhythmic drugs ?
They affect electrical impulse formation/propagation through the effects of ion channels, receptors and ionic pumps