Chapter 11: Cardiac Arrhythmias Flashcards
True or false: A-fib is rare and usually occurs in younger people.
False; common and often elderly
Three conditions that increase risk of a-fib.
1) CVD
2) Chronic pulmonary disease
3) Hyperthyroid
Atria quiver instead of contracting normally; HR is irregular and fast
Atrial fibrillation
What can result from a-fib?
Blood pooling in the heart
Atrial arrhythmia characterized by a very fast, but regular rhythm.
Artial flutter
What would you look for on an EKG to dx A-fib?
Absent P wave
Normal variation of heart rate.
Sinus arrhythmia
True or false: Extrasystole (premature beat) and sinus arrhythmia are always normal variations normal sinus rhythm.
False. Sometimes caused by disease.
Wave of increased pressure that begins with
ventricular contraction in the heart and travels along
the arteries
Pulse
Detect at wrist, neck; normally equivalent
to heart rate, but can be hard to detect if heartbeat is
weak or obstructed
Pulse rate
True or false: HR tends to be slower in smaller people and females than in larger people and males.
False; tends to be faster than in larger people and males.
What are three cases in which HR tends to be slower?
1) While sleeping
2) In endurance athletes
3) In patients with hypothyroidism
Force against the walls of blood vessels.
Blood pressure
What is the major health risk of atrial fibrillation?
It can allow blood to pool and clots to form in the heart
True or false: Hypothyroidism is often a cause of a-fib.
False; Hyperthyroidism
What is the difference between atrial flutter and atrial fibrillation?
Atrial flutter is a regular rhythm; atrial fibrillation is irregular (both are rapid)
What are the symptoms of a-fib (or a-flutter)?
Reduced cardiac output, so dizziness, light-headedness, DOE, risk of clot formation
How do you treat a-fib and a-flutter?
1) Drugs to slow HR.
2) Potentially, cardiac conversion (shock) or ablation to remove abnormal signal pathways.
What type of cardiac arrhythmia is due to delay or full interruption of impulses from atria to
ventricles; usually due to arteriosclerosis in coronary arteries supplying heart muscle; causes poor blood flow to the brain, resulting in dizziness, fainting.
Heart block
What treatment may be necessary for a complete heart block arrhythmia?
Pacemaker
