cardiac arrhythmias

Question 1

what are the two groups of cardiac arrhythmias?

Answer 1

tachy arrythmias - too fast

Brady arrhythmias - too slow

Question 2

What may cause Brady arrhythmias ?

Answer 2

• drug induced by beta blocker or digoxin

- heart block

Question 3

what type of cardiac arrhythmia is associated with postural change issues?

Answer 3

Brady

Question 4

what is heart block?

Answer 4

reduction in impulse conduction from SA node to AV node

Question 5

what will a prolonged p-q interval on ECG mean?

Answer 5

heart block

1st 2nd and 3rd degree depending on severity/length of signal delay with 3rd being total heart block

Question 6

what rate will ventricles pulse at during complete heart block?

Answer 6

their own intrinsic rate of 30bpm

Question 7

What is tachyarrhythmia ?

Answer 7

• impaired cardiac function by reducing diastolic filling time
• reduced cardiac output leads to heart failure

Question 8

describe atrial tachy arythmias.

Answer 8

• rapid atrial impulses conducted to ventricles giving high heart rate
• atrial fibrillation

Question 9

describe ventricular tachy arrythmias.

Answer 9

-rhythm arises in ventricle and spreads through muscle fibres instead of bundle of his
-dangerous as can lead to
ventricular fibrillation and death

Question 10

describe the ECG of atrial fibrillation.

Answer 10

• hard to identify p waves
• irregularly irregular pulse
• no p waves as disorganised activity
• narrow QRS on ECG
• ECG may be normal but fast

Question 11

describe the ECG of Brady arrhythmia

Answer 11

Broad QRS on ECG

Question 12

what is a cardiac pacemaker used to treat?

Answer 12

Brady arrhythmias

Question 13

what is ventricular tachyarythmia usually a precursor for?

Answer 13

ventricular fibrillation

Question 14

what does asystole mean?

Answer 14

no cardiac output

no electrical activity

Question 15

what will asystole look like on ECG?

Answer 15

wavy line

Question 16

How is asystole treated?

Answer 16

• adrenaline to try cause electrical activity in heart for defibrillation
• cannot defibrillate alone as no electrical activity to reorganise

Question 17

How does a pacemaker work?

Answer 17

• keeps heart rate at a minimal level
• paces heart if rate falls below certain level by activating muscle to cause contraction
• sensing circuit senses electrical activity
• pacing circuit activates muscle

Question 18

how is a pacemaker fitted?

Answer 18

in the chest wall and wires are passed through blood vessels into ventricles

Question 19

describe the sinus rhythms of ECG

Answer 19

P wave = atrial depolarisation
QRS complex = ventricular depolarisation
T wave = ventricular repolarisation

Question 20

What are the theoretical risks of pacemaker?

Answer 20

electrical interference causing shutdown e.g. induction scalers as they use EM field,
MRI, electrosurgery and diathermy

Question 21

what will a defibrillator impact do?

Answer 21

look for ventricular fibrillation and shock heart out of ventricular fibrillation rapidly

Question 22

Describe ventricular defibrillation.

Answer 22

• unstable electrical heart activity with ventricle muscle fibres contracting at random
• no emptying of ventricles - >no cardiac output
• heart attack, long QT wave and wolf-parkinson-white syndrome
• treat with defibrillation