Questions and Answers
What characterizes a Premature Ventricular Contraction (PVC)?
What does bigeminy indicate in cardiac rhythms?
Every other beat is a PVC
Define depolarization in the context of EKG.
PR - atrial depolar; QRS - ventricular depolar; ST - ventricular repolar
What does unifocal PVC indicate?
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Normal Sinus Rhythm with an occasional PVC has a heart rate between 60-100.
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Ventricular Tachycardia has a rate of ____ to ____ bpm.
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What does idioventricular rhythm refer to?
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What is Coarse Ventricular Fibrillation?
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Describe Monomorphic Ventricular Tachycardia.
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What indicates Atrial Fibrillation with an Occasional PVC?
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Torsades De Pointe has a rate of 120 - 200 bpm.
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Junctional escape rhythm has a rate of ____ to ____ bpm.
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Study Notes
Premature Ventricular Contraction
- Characterized by an early wide QRS complex with no associated P wave, typically followed by a slight pause before the normal rhythm resumes.
Normal Sinus Rhythm with Unifocal PVC Bigeminy
- Features early wide QRS complexes without P waves, and is marked by alternating normal beats and PVCs.
Bigeminy
- A rhythm pattern where every other heartbeat is a PVC, highlighting potential ventricular irritability.
Depolarization Phases
- Atrial depolarization occurs during the PR interval.
- Ventricular depolarization corresponds to the QRS complex.
- Ventricular repolarization is represented by the ST segment.
Unifocal PVC
- PVCs originating from a single focus or hotspot; all PVCs appear identical, signifying a common irritability source in the ventricle.
Normal Sinus Rhythm with Occasional PVC
- Heart rate ranges from 60-100 bpm, where pacing originates from the SA node with occasional PVCs causing irregularities.
PVC - Occasional
- Irregular heartbeats occur infrequently and may impact heart rate stability.
Ventricular Tachycardia (V-Tach)
- Defined as a ventricular rate of 100-200 bpm, lacks P waves, presents with regular rhythm and inverted QRS complexes, and can escalate to ventricular fibrillation.
Monomorphic Ventricular Tachycardia
- Features a consistent QRS shape with a heart rate of 100-200 bpm, absence of P waves, and regular rhythm.
Idioventricular Rhythm
- Exhibits a heart rate of 20-40 bpm with wide QRS complexes and no P waves.
Ventricular Rhythms
- Dysrhythmias where the ventricular pacemaker is active, reflected by wide and bizarre QRS complexes lasting over 0.12 seconds, typically without detectable P waves.
Accelerated Idioventricular Rhythm
- Similar to idioventricular rhythm but typically observed at a higher heart rate.
Unifocal PVCs
- Less than six PVCs per minute are considered benign; they arise from the same ventricular place.
Fibrillation
- An extremely rapid, chaotic contraction of the heart muscle, leading to ineffective pumping action.
Coarse Ventricular Fibrillation
- An irregularly irregular rhythm with QRS complexes that show significant amplitude variation, exceeding 3 mm.
Torsades De Pointe
- Erratic QRS complexes that vary in amplitude from 120-200 bpm, indicating a unique cardiac phenomenon.
Junctional Escape Beats
- Exhibit a regular rhythm with late beats. P waves may appear before, during, or after the QRS; if visible, they are often inverted.
Junctional Escape Rhythm
- Characterized by a heart rate of 40-60 bpm, reflecting inherent pacing from junctional tissues.
Summary of Normal Sinus Rhythm Variants
- Variations such as frequently occurring unifocal PVCs, bigeminy, trigeminy, and runs of V-tach highlight the versatility of normal sinus rhythm while indicating potential underlying issues.
Premature Junctional Rhythm
- An irregularity with normally paced rhythms featuring PR intervals less than or equal to 0.12 seconds and possibly inverted P waves.
Overall Importance
- Recognizing and understanding these rhythms is crucial for diagnosing and managing cardiac health effectively.
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Description
Test your knowledge on important EKG rhythms, including premature ventricular contractions and bigeminy. This quiz covers definitions and characteristics of various cardiac rhythms to help you understand EKG interpretations better.
