ECG Disorders

Question 1

Wandering pacemaker

Answer 1

P’ wave shape varies
Atrial rate is less than 100
Irregular ventricular rhythm
Caused by atrial foci. cycle length and P wave vary

Question 2

Multifocal Atrial Tachycardia

Answer 2

P’ wave shape varies
Atrial rate exceeds 100
Irregular ventricular rhythm
Typically COPD patients

Question 3

Atrial fibrillation

Answer 3

Continuous chaotic atrial spikes
Irregular ventricular rhythm
The only clear thing will be QRS – rest of the line will be spikey and wavy and make no sense
No single impulse is depolarizing both atria

Question 4

Atrial escape rhythm

Answer 4

After sinus arrest, atrial foci overcomes supression and will have HR 60-80. After pause, the P waves will be different than before
Rate will slow down from the SA node rate

Question 5

Junctional escape rhythm

Answer 5

Junctional foci takes over so HR is 40-60 and there will not be P waves
Can cause retrograde atrial depolarization where P waves are after QRS and are inverted (can have P wave before QRS or within the QRS as well)

Question 6

Ventricular escape rhythm

Answer 6

Ventricular foci takes over so HR is 20-40. Huge QRS with completely random P waves

Question 7

Atrial escape beat

Answer 7

Have a pause and then one P wave differing from P waves before the pause.

Question 8

Junctional Escape beat

Answer 8

Have a pause and then no P wave, then resume beats

Can also have inverted P wave before or after QRS

Question 9

Ventricle escape beat

Answer 9

Will have no P wave and a very large QRS wave immediately after a pause

Question 10

premature atrial beat

Answer 10

Makes earlier P wave.. usually also unusually shaped. Will also have T waves that are too tall.

Question 11

Premature atrial beat w/ aberrant ventricular contraction

Answer 11

Abnormal P wave with wide QRS wave. Happens bc one of the bundle branches isn’t completely repolarized when PAB takes place

Question 12

Non-conducted premature atrial beat

Answer 12

Happens when PAB is unable to depolarized AV node. Has a too early, abnormal PAB without a QRS following it

Question 13

Atrial Bigeminy

Answer 13

PAB fires at the end of a normal cycle and will continue to couple to the end of normal cycles, creating couplets w/ one normal P wave followed immediately by a PAB

Question 14

Atrial Trigeminy

Answer 14

When an atrial focus fires after two normal cycles and repeats this pattern

Question 15

Premature junctional beat

Answer 15

AV junction foci fires a stimulus and causes a premature QRS wave