A 44-year-old man with severe cardiomyopathy, an LVAD, chronic amiodarone therapy, and an AICD presents with palpitations. His ECG shows a regular wide-complex tachycardia, but the rate is only 135….
Key Points: Junctional tachycardia is an uncommon supraventricular tachycardia arising from the AV junction, usually due to enhanced automaticity rather than reentry. It is usually a regular narrow-complex tachycardia, although…
An 81-year-old woman presents with lightheadedness and marked bradycardia. Her ECG shows more P waves than QRS complexes, but the mechanism is not immediately clear. The key question is whether…
Key Points: SVT in bedside emergency medicine usually refers to a rapid regular tachycardia arising above the ventricles, most commonly AVNRT, AVRT, or atrial tachycardia. Most SVTs are regular narrow-complex…
Key Points: AV block refers specifically to delayed or failed conduction of impulses from the atria to the ventricles. AV block is classified by the ECG pattern of conduction: First-degree…
Key Points: Atrial flutter is a macro-reentrant atrial tachycardia, most commonly typical cavotricuspid isthmus-dependent right atrial flutter, with an atrial rate usually near 300 bpm. With 2:1 AV conduction, the…
A young man with recurrent palpitations presents to the emergency department hemodynamically stable during an episode. The arrival ECG shows a wide complex, regular tachycardia and the computer interpretation calls…
Key Points: Orthodromic AVRT is the most common tachyarrhythmia in WPW and presents as a regular narrow-complex SVT that is indistinguishable from AVNRT during the tachycardia. Mechanism: antegrade conduction down…
Key Points PACs are early atrial depolarizations from an ectopic focus that create a premature P wave with a different morphology and axis than the sinus P wave, usually followed…
Key Points: Unstable bradyarrhythmias cause poor perfusion which can rapidly progress to shock, irreversible organ injury, or cardiac arrest. Priority: Do not treat the heart rate alone — treat clinical…
Key Points: Intervene Immediately: Unstable tachyarrhythmias pose significant risk for rapid clinical deterioration that may lead to irreversible end-organ damage or cardiac arrest. Clinical Indicators of Instability: Altered Mental Status:…
Key Points PJCs are premature impulses from ectopic foci in or near the AV junction. ECG hallmark is a narrow premature beat with an absent or retrograde P wave. Retrograde…
Key Points: Premature complexes are early depolarizations arising from the atrium, AV junction, or ventricle which interrupt the expected sinus rhythm. Rapid classification by origin: look for a P wave…
Key Points: AVRT is a re-entrant SVT that requires two limbs: the AV node and an accessory pathway. It is an AV node dependent tachycardia. Orthodromic AVRT conducts antegrade down…
Key Points: AVNRT is a paroxysmal, regular, usually narrow-complex SVT caused by a reentry circuit within or adjacent to the AV node. Dual-pathway physiology is typical. Bedside hallmark is a…
Key Point Narrow QRS bradycardias are often related to vagal tone or reversible causes, but not always benign. Certain AV blocks and conduction abnormalities may still carry significant risk, even…
Key Points: Treat the patient, not just the number or rhythm. Start with a 10-second stability check. If the rhythm explains hypotension, shock, ischemic chest pain, altered mentation, or severe…
Key Points Definition: Multifocal Atrial Tachycardia (MAT) is a rare type of irregularly irregular supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) characterized by the presence of at least three or more different P wave…
Key Points: Narrow irregular tachycardia = QRS <120 ms with variable R–R interval. The big three DDx: Atrial fibrillation (AF) with RVR, atrial flutter with variable block, multifocal atrial tachycardia…
Key Points: Narrow regular tachycardia = QRS <120 ms with a steady R–R interval. The big three DDx: sinus tachycardia, SVT (AVNRT/AVRT/junctional), and atrial flutter with fixed AV conduction (commonly…