Cardiac Rhythm disturbances- Johnston Flashcards
What are some signs and symptoms of arrhythmias?
- palpitations
- Lightheadedness - faint like
- Syncope or near syncope
- Chest pain
- Dyspnea
- Sudden death
What are some common etiology of cardiac arrhythmias?
- Stress
- Ischemia (CAD, MI, HF)
- Metabolic acidosis
- infection
- cardiomyopathy/alcohol; chemo
- Electrolyte imbalance
- Drugs (caffeine, nicotine, thyroid, aminophylline, OTC)
- HTN
What are some causes of sinus tachycardia?
- can be physiologic or pathologic
- Emotion, anxiety, fear, drugs, hyperthyroid
- fever, pregnancy, anemia, CHF
- hypovolemia
_ is the dominant cardiac pacemaker and has it’s own intrinsic discharge rate
Sinus node
when Lifting heavy objects, would you expect bradycardia or tachycardia?
Bradycardia. This is the valsalva maneuver which is a vagal stimuli.
A patient presents with alternating tachycardia and bradycardia and was diagnosed with sick sinus syndrome. What is the likely treatment option?
- pacemaker to treat the bradycardia and pharmacologic intervention for the tachycardia.
A pt presents with heightened vagal tone–vomiting nausea– and chest pain. On EKG, bradycardia, 2ndary mobitz type I AV block, ST elevation were noted. Lab shows elevated cardiac enzymes. Pt’s MI was most likely on what area of the heart?
Inferior MI.
Non conducted atrial bigeminy has been implicated in _ (brady or tachycardia)
Bradycardia
what are the criteria needed to diagnose a sinus bradycardia on EKG?
- P wave followed by a ventricular beat with rate <60.
- Normal axis
- constant and normal PR interval
- Constant P wave configuration in each lead
- regular or slightly irregular P-P cycle or R-R cycle
Atrial fibrillation causes can be remembered by the acronym PIRATES which stands for _
- Pulmonary disease
- Ishchemia
- Rheumatic heart dz
- Anemia
- Thyrotoxicosis
- Ethanol
- Sepsis
What is the most common cause of unexplained pause on an EKG?
A pauce is defined as a missing QRS complex on an EKG. It is often due to nonconducted premature atrial contraction (PAC)
What is a nonconducted atrial bigeminy and how can it be recognized on an EKG?
PAC occurs when a focus in the atrium (not the SA node), generates an AP before the next scheduled SA node AP. When this occurs prior to the AV node recovering (the AV node is still refractory), a non-sinus P wave will be seen that is not followed by a QRS complex (non-conducted). When every other QRS complex is a PAC, then the rhythm is referred to as “atrial bigeminy”
On EKG:
- Occurs early
- P wave would different from normal P wave shape (since this P wave is not from the SA node) and usually narrow and biphasic
- There is a compensatory pause after the PAC. The extra atrial action potential causes the SA node to become refractory to generating its next scheduled beat. Thus it must “skip a beat” and it will resume exactly 2 P to P intervals after the last normal sinus beat.
what are some causes, signs and symptoms of sick sinus syndrome (SSS)?
Causes: ischemia, sclerotic, inflammatory changes in SAN
signs and symptoms: nonspecific such as syncope, dizziness, fatigue, heart failure
How is SSS recognized on an EKG?
Period of tachycardia followed by a long pause and bradycardia and then back to tachy cardia.
Sinus bradycardia in a lot of cases may not need treatment. Treatment is indicated only when HR? 45-50 and/or they become symptomatic which would include _1_and often are treated with with 2 as first line option, side effects of which commonly includes urinary retention and abd distention.
- decreased BP, CO, SV, renal perfusion; SOB, decreased cerebral perfusion (confusion), CP, cool, clammy, diaphoretic, syncope, dizziness
- Atropine. Other treatment, if atropine does not work, includes epi, isoproterenol and a pacemaker.
Bradycardia is often associated with _ MI and lesion of the _ artery
inferior wall MI
RCA
which phase of the cardiac AP is most prone to arrhythmia?
Phase 4
_ is the property of a cardiac cell to depolarize spontaneously during phase 4 of an AP/leads to generation of an impulse
Automaticity
Ventricular beats appearing in groups of 2 or 3 with the last one early and a different wave is characterized as _
Atrial bigeminy or trigeminy (ectopic focus tied to SA rhythm)
what are some common causes of atrial premature beats?
- epi
- increased sympathetic
- caffeine, amphatamines, cocaine,
- excess digitalis, ethanol
- hyperthyroidism
- stretch
- hypoxia
How is a premature atrial beat recognized on EKG?
- an early P wave that sometimes can be masked within the T wave in which case it’ll appear as a too-tall T wave (taller than the other T waves in the same lead)
- can be conducted (QRS present) or nonconducted (no accompnaying QRS)
How is premature atrial complexes treated?
Treat only if symptomatic, give beta blocker such as metoprolol
_ is a sudden heart rate greater than 100 (commonly 150-250/min), impulses which are not coming from SA node, bother some other foci, commonly irritable focus P wave is seen.
Paroxysmal Atrial tachycardia.
How is Paroxysmal arial tachycardia (PAT) recognized on an EKG?
tachycardia with P’ waves that do not look like sinus-generated P waves.
- you’ll see a normal run followed by an irritable foci that starts a round of tachycardia. In between the tachycardic QRS, the P and T waves are superimposed on each other.
How is a PAT with AV block recognized on a EKG?
- Rapid rate, spiked P’ waves 2:1 ratio of P’: QRS.
- atrial ectopic beats that appear within the QRS complex.
PAT with AV block is often associated with toxicity with what drug?
digitalis
how is multifocal atrial tachycardia recognized on a EKG?
- 3 or more different P waves
- PR interval varies
- irregular ventricular rhythm
- atrial rate > 100
Multifocal atrial tachycardia is associated with what pathologies?
- lung disease (among others but lung disease/abnormalities is the main one)
what are some drugs of choice to treat MAT?
MAT is most likely due to lung disease and thus you’d treat the lung first. then to treat the tachycardia you can give DC theophylline, Verapamil (be cautious if pt has EF impairment cuz it can make HF worse), magnesium sulfate.
- be cautious with beta blockers since it can make pulmonary problems worse
_ is associated with atrial rate >350-600/min, undulating baseline, no discernible P waves, irregular RR interval with irregularly irregular ventricular rhythm. Multiple atrial foci.
afib