Tachycardia Flashcards
What is tachycardia?
Heart rate greater than 100 bpm
Regular tachycardia refers to a rapid heart rate with a _____ rhythm so the time interval between each heartbeat is relatively ____
consistent
constant
Give some examples of regular tachycardia
Sinus tachycardia
Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT)
Ventricular tachycardia (VT)
Atrial Flutter
AVNRT
AVRT (Atrioventricular Re-entrant Tachycardia, can be irregular)
Sinus tachycardia is a fast heart rate originating from the _______ ____ and can be caused by various factors like…
sinoatrial node
Stress, anxiety, fever, dehydration, physical exertion
Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) is a fast heart originating above the ventricles often involving a_____ e____ p____ in the atria
abnormal electrical pathways
Symptoms of SVT include…
Palpitations
Chest discomfort
SOB
Dizziness
Ventricular tachycardia (VT) is a fast heart rhythm originating in the ____. It can be life-threatening if not promptly treated
ventricles
What are symptoms of VT?
Palpitations
Chest pain
Fainting
Cardiac arrest
Irregular tachycardia refers to a rapid heart rate with an irregular rhythm meaning the t____ between each _____ varies
time
heartbeat
The most common irregular tachycardia is…
Atrial fibrillation
In AFib, the chaotic and irregular heart rhythm originates in the ___
atria
Examples of irregular tachycardia include…
AFib
Multifocal atrial tachycardia
What does AVNRT stand for?
Atrioventricular Nodal Reentrant Tachycardia
AVNRT is a specific type of ________ tachycardia characterised by a reentrant circuit involving the AV node (regulates electrical impulses between atria and ventricles)
supraventricular
In AVNRT there are 2 pathways within the AVN with different conduction v____ allowing for the formation of a re-entrant circuit
velocities
True or false: AVNRT is the most common type of supraventricular tachycardia
True
Atrial flutter is a type of _______ tachycardia characterised by a rapid and ____ atrial rhythm
supraventricular
regular
Atrial flutter is caused by a ____ circuit within the atria, typically involving an area of abnormal electrical activity that initiates the arrhythmia
re-entrant
What is seen on an ECG in atrial flutter?
Sawtooth pattern
In AVRT, the re-entrant circuit involves both the atria and ventricles and typically includes an accessory pathway like the b____ of ____ that bypasses the normal AV node conduction pathway.
Accessory pathway allows impulses to travel directly to ventricles leading to rapid heart rate.
bundle of Kent
In AVNRT, the re-entrant circuit occurs entirely within the ___ itself, the slow pathway and the fast pathway.
Re-entrant pathway occurs when impulses travel down one pathway and back up other, leading to rapid atrioventricular conduction
AVN
Ventricular fibrillation is a life-threatening arrhythmia characterised by rapid and chaotic electrical activity in the ventricles. What do the ventricles do?
They quiver rather than doing full contractions. This loos of co-ordinated mechanical function prevents effective blood circulation
Ventricular fibrillation can lead to…
sudden cardiac death
VFib occurs when several e____ electrical impulses arise from different sites in the ventricles leading to asynchronous depolarisation of cardiac m____ f____ resulting in inadequate cardiac output
ectopic
muscle fibres
What are symptoms of VFib?
Sudden loss of consciousness
Absence of palpable pulse
Cessation of effective breathing
What can cause VFib?
Coronary artery disease
MI
Cardiomyopathy
Valvular heart disease
Electrolyte imbalances
Drug toxicity
Hypoxia
Severe trauma
