Cardiac Arrhythmias Flashcards
what are fast heart arrhythmia known as?
tachy arrhythmia
examples of tachy arrhythmias?
- atrial fibrillation
- ventricular tachycardia
what are slow arrhythmias known as?
brady arrhythmias
what type of arrhythmia is a heart block?
brady arrhythmia
what are the causes of brady arrhythmias?
- drug induce (beta blockers)
- heart block
what is a heart block?
slow/no conduction through the AV node to ventricles of impulse from SA node
how does a heart block present on an ECG reading?
prolonged p-q interval on ECG (AV node conduction)
how can the different levels of heart block be classified?
classified by the length of the signal delay
- 1st degree
- 2nd degree
- 3rd degree/complete heart block (no signal passed)
what treatment can fix a heart block?
pace maker
how can tachyarrhythmia cause heart problems?
- impaired cardiac function by reducing diastolic filling time
- reduces coronary artery blood flow time
how do atrial tachy arrhythmias present on an ECG?
narrow QRS (ventricular depolarisation) on ECG - normal ECG but FAST
how do ventricular tachyarrhythmias present on an ECG?
broad QRA on ECG
how can the pulse of a patient suffering with atrial fibrillation be described?
very irregular
what dental equipment should be avoided when treating patients with pace makers?
induction scales (strong EM field)
when are implanted pacemakers used?
in patients with unstable cardiac rhythms
