Cardiac Electrical Function & Dysfunction Flashcards
Depolarization of atrial cells is fast or slow?
Slow wave of depolarization
How is the electrical conducting system divided?
Atrial Conducting System, Ventricular Conducting System
What constitutes the atrial conducting system? (4)
SA node, Bachman’s bundle, Intranodal pathways, AV Node
What constitutes the ventricular conducting system? (4)
Bundle of His, Left bundle branch, Right bundle branch, Purkinje fibers
What is the cardiac skeleton? (What is it made of and what is its function? What does it contain?)
Band of fibrous tissue that does NOT conduct electrical activity. Only the Bundle of His pierces it (normally) and carries signal into ventricular conducting system. It is responsible for the delay, so that nothing happens while the atria contracts.
What characteristics allow the conducting systems to work? (2)
Gap junctions, large diameter
What is different about the AV node versus other components of conducting system?
AV node has small diameter, and few gap junctions (delays signal)
The electrical conducting system contains what type of cells?
Specialized muscle cells. They are NOT nerve cells!
T/F: All conducting cells are capable of self-depolarizing.
True
What are the inherent rates of self depolarization in the SA node, the AV node, and the ventricles?
SA node - 60-100BPM, AV node - 45-50BPM, ventricles - 35-40BPM
The inherent rate of self depolarization (SLOWS/SPEEDS UP) as distance away from SA node?
SLOWS
What happens if SA node is blocked?
AV node will spontaneously depolarize at the slower (inherent) rate. May conduct back to SA node/atria, but slower
Einthoven’s Triangle is outlined by 3 leads called?
Bipolar Limb Leads; Lead I, II, III
Describe +/- of Lead I
Left Arm (LA): + Right Arm (RA): -
Describe +/- of Lead II
Left Leg (LL): + Right Arm (RA) -
Describe +/- of Lead III
Left Leg (LL): + Left Arm (LA): -
What are ways of remembering leads and polarity?
- More L’s = More positive
- Lead I = 1 L, Lead II = 2 L’s, Lead III = 3 L’s
What are the Unipolar Limb Leads?
aVR, aVL, aVF; they compare the positive end to a reference of 0 at the heart.
Describe +/- of aVR:
RA +, LA & LL -
Describe +/- of aVL:
LA + , RA & LL -
Describe +/- of aVF:
LL +, RA & LA -
Bipolar & unipolar limb leads measure ECG in which plane?
Frontal
Precordial (chest) leads are bipolar or unipolar?
Unipolar
Chest leads measure ECG in which plane?
Horizontal (anterior to posterior)
If a wave of depolarization moves toward the positive end of the lead, which way does the pen deflect? Give an example of a common wave form.
Upwards (away from isoelectric line). Eg. R Wave
What does the P wave represent in an ECG?
Atrial depolarization
What does the QRS wave represent in an ECG?
Ventricular depolarization
What does the T wave represent in an ECG
Ventricular repolarization
What happens when there is no electrical activity detected by recording electrodes?
Flat line / iso-electric line
The simple wave form (P wave) is which direction in lead I? II? III?
All upward (positive)
Why does repolarization also result in an upward pen deflection?
The wave of repolarization is in the opposite direction; last cells to depolarize are first to repolarize.
What are characteristics of normal sinus rhythm? (4)
- Every P wave followed by QRS
- Every QRS preceded by P
- P is upright in I, II, and III
- PR interval is 3-5 small spaces
What are two factors that cause bradyarrhythmia?
1) Altered Impulse Formation –> Decreased automaticity
2) Altered Impulse Conduction –> Conduction Block
What (physiologic) reasons cause sinus bradycardia?
- Increased parasympathetic drive via vagal nerve
- Decreased phase 4 slope
- More positive threshold for action potential (less frequently reached)
- More negative resting membrane potential (RMP)
What phase of the cardiac cycle of the SA node determines HR?
Phase 4
What does stimulation of the parasympathetic nervous system do to the slope of phase 4?
Flatten
What is the characteristic ECG finding of 1st degree block?
Constant, prolonged PR interval (> 3-5 little squares)
What is the characteristic ECG finding of 2nd degree Type 1 block?
Increasing length of PR interval with an occasionally dropped beat; may not lead to bradyarrhythmia - depends on frequency of dropped beats
What is the characteristic ECG finding of 2nd degree Type 2 block?
Constant PR interval with dropped QRS
What is the characteristic ECG finding of 3rd degree block
Complete dissociation of atrial & ventricular electrical activity. Usually bradycardic with ventricular rate of ~45bpm. Atrial rate about 100bpm. Often can find a P wave buried in between 2 “absolutely certain” P waves
What is a narrow QRS interval and what does it signify?
<3 small squares. Shows that tachycardia (if any) is supra-ventricular in origin. It is narrow as the conduction goes down the normal system - less time needed to conduct.
What is a wide QRS interval and what does it signify?
> 3 small squares. Shows that the tachycardia originates in the ventricles of His Purkinje system. More time is needed for a contraction, so a wider complex is formed (x-axis is time).
How does altered impulse conduction manifest as tachyarrhythmia?
Through re-entry pathways
How does altered impulse formation manifest as tachyarrhythmia?
Through increased automaticity and triggered activity
What are signs of anti-cholinergic overdose?
- Red as a beet (cutaneous vasodilation)
- Hot as a hare (no PSN sweating)
- Dry as a bone
- Blind as a bat (no PSN pupillary dilation or visual accommodation)
- Mad as a hatter (Blocked muscarinic effects on CNS)
How does overstimulation of the anticholinergic system affect automaticity? What is the mechanism?
It decreases parasympathetic drive and therefore increases the slope of the phase 4 slope, leading to increased heart rate. In addition, the threshold is lowered (more negative), and resting membrane potential (RMP) is elevated. It increases automaticity.
What is reentry?
An alteration in AP conduction that results in generation of circular electrical activity leading to tachyarrhythmias
Describe the 2 parallel pathways in the AV node and its significance in cardiovascular physiology.
There is a fast pathway with a long refractory period and a slow pathway with a short refractory period. Normally the fast pathway is responsible for conducting the impulse to the Bundle of His & downstream. The slow pathway is halted when the 2 pathways converge as the fast pathway is in its refractory period when the short pathway impulse arrives. When there is a unidirectional block in the fast pathway, the impulse is forced to be conducted in the slow pathway with a short refractory period, and goes through the retrograde direction in the fast pathway (as there is no impulse due to the block, and therefore no refractory period), and a circuit has been created for re-entry of the impulse into the slow pathway through the retrograde direction of the fast pathway.
What can predispose a reentry tachycardia?
Atrial premature beat
What is the connection between re-entry circuits and atrial fibrillation?
Atrial fibrillation is when there are multiple re-entry circuits within the atria
What are the 4 classes of antiarrhythmics? What is each’s mechanism?
Class I: Na channel blocker
Class II: Beta blocker
Class III: K channel blocker
Class IV: Ca channel blocker
Which phase influences conduction speed?
Phase 0
Phase 0 of the action potential influences which electrophysiological property of conduction?
Conduction speed
Which phase(s) influences refractory period?
Phase 2 & 3
Phase 2 of the action potential influences which electrophysiological property of conduction?
Refractory period
Phase 3 of the action potential influences which electrophysiological property of conduction?
Refractory period
Phase 4 of the action potential influences which electrophysiological property of conduction?
Rate of spontaneous depolarization (pacemaker rate)