Unit 6 - Cardiovascular - AF Flashcards
What is an ECG?
Electrocardiogram
What is sinus rhythm?
A normal heart beat
- starts at sinoatrial node (SAN)
What is an arrhythmia?
Abnormal rate and/or rhythm of heart beat
What is tachycardia?
Abnormally fast heart rate
What is bradycardia?
Abnormally slow heart rate
What is the normal resting heart rate?
60 - 100 bpm
Give examples of common arrhythmias
Ectopic beats Atrial fibrillation (AF) Atrial flutter Ventricular tachycardia Ventricular fibrillation
What are ectopic beats?
Caused by impulse starting somewhere other than SAN or ventricles ignoring the impulse
- common or usually harmless
What is Atrial Fibrillation (AF)?
Irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate
Most common sustained abnormal heart rhythm
- affects around 1 million people in the UK
What is Atrial flutter?
Rapid atrial depolarization from an abnormal focus within the atria
What is Ventricular Tachycardia (VT)?
Regular but fast heart rate
- can be caused by AF
What is Ventricular fibrillation (VF)?
A ventricular arrhythmia in which a chaotic series of electrical impulses causes them to quiver ineffectively rather than contract smoothly
What are the effects of ventricular fibrillation?
Most common life threatening arryhthmia
- cardiac arrest
- death
How can ventricular fibrillation be treated?
Defibrillation
How can atrial fibrillation be identified on an ECG?
Loss of P wave
- atria aren’t contracting as they should