AV Block, A Fib, PVC's Flashcards
what are the major causes of AV block ?
- increased vagal tone (sweaty, bradycardic, syncope)
- stimuli could be sight of blood, could be drugs - fibrosis and sclerosis of conduction system
(SA –> internodal tracts –> AV node) - IHD
(tied in with fibrosis and sclerosis) - cardiomyopathy and myocarditis
- congenital heart disease
- familial AV block
“AV node”
= protector of ventricles, protects A fib from going to Vfib, unless have WPW and bundle of kent
other causes of AV block?
hyperkalemia, infiltrative malignancies, neonatal Lupus, severe hypo or hyperthyroidism, trauma, degenerative neuromoscular diseases (lead to scarring and fibrosis of conduction system)
ex. myotonic dystrophy
which CCB’s cause AV block?
verapamil, diltiazem (non-DHPs) - decrease left ventricular fn: negative inotropes and negative chronotrops, will cause more AV/heart block
** don’t use with beta blockers:
drugs that cause AV block?
Digitalis, calcium channel blockers, beta blockers, amiodarone (long half-life), adenosine (used for blocking fast AV node re-entral mechanisms)
- all of these have profound AV block
don’t use CCB’s and Beta blockers together
Iatrogenic (consequence of medical tx) AV block?
- Drugs: Digitalis, calcium channel blockers, beta blockers, amiodarone, adenosine
- Cardiac Surgery
- Catheter ablation of arrhythmias
- Transcatheter VSD closure (interrupts conduction system below the AV node)
- Alcohol Septal ablation for
HOCM (hyperobstructive coronary myopathy - put catheter into septal branch, occlude it with balloon and inject alcohol, kills myocardium and this part of myocardium that is causing obstruction goes away… causes a mild MI due to the chemical irritant and heart block almost always happens transiently) - TAVr (Transcatheter AV replacement)
normal PR interval?
0.2 seconds
first degree AV block?
PR interval of longer than 0.2 seconds at normal heart rates
- when PR interval gets long, the atria is contributing its blood way before ventricle contracts and filling isn’t as efficienct –> results in decreased CO
rheumatic heart disease
mitral valve stenosis –> pulmonary HTN –> right heart failure
- fixing the mitral valve, 90% of the time will result in alleviation of pulmonary HTN
AV block defintion
AV Block is defined as a delay or interruption in the transmission of an impulse from the atria to the ventricles due to an anatomic or functional impairment in the conduction system.
fibrosis and sclerosis and AV block
Fibrosis and sclerosis of the conduction system accounts for about 50% of cases of AV block and may be induced by several different conditions that often cannot be distinguished clinically. These are frequently progressive to complete heart block.
IHD and AV block?
IHD (Ischemic Heart Disease) accounts for 40% of cases. Conduction disturbances range from first degree AVB to complete with either chronic IHD or an Acute MI.
familial AV block
transmitted with autosomal dominant trait
drugs that cause AV block?
digitalis, calcium channel antagonists (verapamil and diltiazem), amiodarone, adenosine, and beta blockers can impair AV conduction, occasionally resulting in AV block.
Most are at least partially reversible following drug withdrawal
procedures that can cause AV block?
valve replacement, catheter ablations, closure of VSD’s, alcohol septal ablations and TAVr
Second degree AVB, Mobitz Type 1
= Wenchebach
progressive PR interval prolongation precedes a nonconducted P wave
count the P waves to the QRS complexes: ex. 5 to 4, Wenchebach