Arrhythmias Flashcards
What is an arrhythmia?
It’s where your heart has no rhythm. Much like your dance moves.
P wave shows us
atrial depolarization
QRS wave shows us
ventricular depolarization
T wave shows us
ventricular repolarization
What are the four main types of arrhythmias?
Extra beats
Supraventricular tachycardias
Ventricular arrhythmias
Bradyarrhythmias
What are atrioventricular blocks?
Where conduction between the atria and ventricles is blocked or slowed.
A 1st degree AV block is
when the PR interval is lengthened beyond 0.2 seconds
A 2nd degree AV block is
a disturbance, delay, or interruption of atrial impulse conduction through the AV node to the ventricles.
A 3rd degree AV block is
Complete heart block. The impulse that’s generated in the SA node doesn’t propagate to the ventricles
T/F- an arrhythmia can occur if another part of the heart starts to produce electrical signals.
True
There are four classes of anti-arrhythmic drugs. Class I drugs do what?
They are sodium channel blockers
What do class I drugs do? How do they work?
They basically tweak the cardiac action potential- it can lengthen or shorten the duration of the action potential
Some bind more selectively to the open state of the ion channel and others bind more selectively to the inactivated channel
Class II anti-arrhythmic drugs do what?
They are beta-adrenergic antagonists. They diminish phase 4 depolarization, which depresses automaticity, prolongs the AV donation and decreases both heart rate and contractility
Class II agents would be good for treating _______.
Tachyarrhythmias
T/F Beta-blockers can diminish both sodium and calcium currents?
True
