EP Flashcards
What are the surface tracings in an electrogram?
Leads I, II, and V1 = surface tracings recorded at a speed of 100 mm/sec (faster than speed of surface ECG which is 25 mm/sec)
What is HRAd on an electrogram?
HRA d –> High RA placement
- represents electrical activity as it traverses the distal electrodes of the catheter placed in the high RA (HRA)
- corresponds to P wave on surface electrograms
What are the HISp and HISm on the intracardiac electrogram?
- HIS p and HIS m
- obtained from electrodes located at proximal and mid portion of the HIS bundle catheter
- first/largest deflection of HIS p represents atrial activity at the distal portion of the atria
- low amplitude, broad signal = ventricular activation, corresponds with QRS on surface tracing
What is HISd on the intracardiac electrogram?
What does it represent?
- HIS d = distal HIS electrode position
- 3 electrograms for each P-QRS complex
- first = largest and corresponds to P wave
- second = sharp signal, represents HIS bundle activation
- third = ventricular activation in the septum occurring just below tricuspid valve
What is RVa tracing on the intracardiac electrogram?
RVa = electrical activity traversing the RV apex
Which electrogram tracing can measure conduction across the AV node?
HIS bundle catheter (HIS p, m, d)
-AH time can be measured from the low RA recording (HIS p) and the bundle electrogram (HIS m, d)
What is normal AH interval?
What is AH interval?
- 45-140 msec
- Conduction time through the AV Node.
- measurement is obtained by evaluating the time between the Atrial and His bundle electrograms on one of the His catheter recordings.
- dependent on patient’s age and autonomic state
When is a short AH interval seen?
What does it suggest?
- children and adults “juvenile AV node”
- brisk AV nodal conduction
When is a long AH interval seen?
What does it suggest?
- slow AV nodal conduction
- Causes:
- fibrosis due to CAD or senile degeneration
- AV nodal blockade (BB, non-dihydrpyridine CCB’s)
- High Vagal Tone
How is the HV interval measured?
measured from the beginning of the HIS bundle electrogram recording (second deflection on the HIS bundle catheter during sinus rhythm) to the first ventricular electrogram either on:
- the HIS bundle recording (the third deflection in sinus rhythm)
or
- RV electrogram
or
- even on any of the surface QRS recordings.
What does HV measure?
- represents distal conduction activation
- conduction time from the His bundle (located just below the AV node) –> first identifiable onset of ventricular activation.
- the time it takes for an electric impulse to traverse the HIS bundle, the bundle branches, and the Purkinje network in order to activate the ventricles
Describe the measurement
- measurement of HV interval
- from beginning of His bundle recording to the first ventricular electrogram
- HV = 90 msec –> prolonged
- normal HV = 25-55 msec
- Patient with first-degree AV block and RBBB on surface ECG
What is a normal HV interval?
Describe the HV interval?
- 25-55 msec
- conduction time from the His bundle (located just below the AV node) –> first identifiable onset of ventricular activation.
- normal HV interval is not affected by autonomic state or pharmacologic agents
What does a short/negative HV interval suggest?
- ventricular activation occurs before HIS bundle activation
- Accessory pathway (WPW)
- VT
The site of AV block may be determined by this?
- His bundle electrogram
- determines AV node vs. distal conducting system blocks
What does a prolonged HV interval suggest?
- abnormal conduction in the distal cardiac conduction
- portends a higher likelihood of conduction failure –> heart block
What two medications can be used to reduce the risk for ICD shocks in VT?
What trials demonstrated this?
- Sotalol and Amiodarone
- OPTIC - 2005 (Optimal Pharmacological Therapy in Cardioverter Defibrillator Patients) study.
- Amiodarone (+ BB) superior to Sotalol
Sotalol:
- MOA
- Major side effect
- Elimination
- MOA:
- IKr blockade - delayed-potassium rectifier channel
- Beta receptor blockade (predominant action at doses < 160 mg daily)
- Side effects
-
Torsades de pointes < 2%
- increases in setting of bradycardia, female gender, pre-excisting QT prolongation, history of heart failure, VF, VT, hypokalemia
- Avoid in combination with QT prolonging agents
-
Torsades de pointes < 2%
- Elimination:
- Kidney 100%
- No pharmacologic interaction with warfarin, digoxin HCTZ
What is the difference in survival, in refractory VF patients comparing Lidocaine and Amiodarone?
- ALIVE trial - 2001 (Amiodarone vs. Lidocaine in Prehospital VF Evaluation) compared the two in treatment of Cardioversion refractory VF in the field.
- Amiodarone demonstrated improved survival (2:1) to hospital admission
- No difference in survival to hospital discharge
What arrhythmia most likely in a patient with Ebstein’s anomaly? How would it manifest?
- AVRT
- likely related to bypass tract –> manifests as pre-excitation