Lecture 13 Flashcards
How do you determine normal sinus rhythm?
Look at lead 2
- is rhythm regular
- regular HR (60-100 bpm)
- p waves present and upright, followed by QRS complex
- is PR interval normal
- is QRS width normal
- is corrected QT interval normal
What is an atrioventricular conduction block?
Delay/failure of conduction of impulses from atria to ventricles via AVN and Bundle of His
What are the 3 types of atrioventricular heart block?
- first degree heart block
- second degree heart block (Mobitz type1/2)
- third degree heart block
What are some causes of heart block?
- degeneration of electrical conducting system with age (sclerosis/fibrosis)
- medications
- valvular heart disease
- acute myocardial ischaemia (blood flow to heart is disrupted)
What is sclerosis?
Abnormal hardening of body tissue
What is a first degree AV block?
Conduction is slowed without skipped beats
- all p waves are followed by QRS complexes
- PR interval is longer than normal (>0.2s)
What is second degree AV blockand the two types?
Mobitz type 1/Wenkebach
- successively longer PR intervals until one QRS is dropped (electrical signal not conducted through to ventricles)
- cycle starts again
Mobitz type 2
-PR intervals do not lengthen
-sudden drop of QRS complex with no prior changes to PR
-atrial rhythm is regular (p waves)
-ventricular rhythm is irregular
HIGH RISK PROGRESSION TO COMPLETE HEART BLOCK
Which block is high risk to progress to complete heart block?
Mobitz type 2 (second degree)
What is a third degree AV block?
Atria and ventricles are depolarising independently (complete failure of AV conduction)
-ventricular pacemaker takes over which is slow (20-40 bpm)
-too slow to maintain blood pressure
-wide QRS complex
URGENT PACEMAKER REQUIRED
-random p waves being fired off without QRS following
What heart block requires a pacemaker urgently?
Third degree heart block
What is a bundle branch block?
Delayed conduction within bundle branches
(LBBB/RBBB)
-p waves and PR intervals are normal
-wide, notched QRS complex because ventricular depolarisation takes longer
What is a symbol of heart disease?
LBBB
left bundle branch block
What is arrythmia?
Abnormal rhythms from the heart
What are the types of arrythmia?
Atria (above ventricles and therefore called SUPRAVENTRICULAR arrythmia)
- SAN
- atrium
- AVN
Ventricular arrythmia
Difference between supraventricular and ventricular arrythmias:
Supraventricular -normal QRS complex -HR is altered Ventricular -wide/bizarre QRS complexes (ectopic beats)
What is an ectopic beat?
When a beat comes too early/there is an extra beat
-beat is out of place
=palpitations
What is atrial fibrillation?
A type of supraventricular arrythmia
Atria quiver but you still get blood into ventricles
-arises from many atrial foci (fire in an uncoordinated manner)
-no p waves
-wavy baseline (atria quiver- still get blood to ventricles)
-irregular R-R intervals
-impulses reach AVN at rapid irregular rate- not all conducted
-normal QRS as when conducted, ventricles depolarise normally
What are ectopic foci?
Abnormal pacemaker sites in the heart which display automacity (activity normally supressed by SAN)
-in both atria and ventricles
What are the atrial fibrillation variations?
SLOW
FAST
Normal rate
Coarse (>0.5mm) vs Fine fibrillation (<0.5mm)
What is tachy brady syndrome?
Sometimes the heart is tachycardiac and then bradycardic
Whats an issure with course fibrillation?
It may be mistaken for p waves