Key Points: Rare, inherited ventricular arrhythmia triggered by adrenergic stress during exertion or emotion. Classically presents in children or adolescents with syncope or cardiac arrest despite a normal resting ECG…
Key Points Artifact is a common source of misdiagnosis for serious arrhythmias such as polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (PVT), torsades de pointes, or ventricular fibrillation (VF). Always correlate the ECG findings…
Key Points ECG alone cannot reliably distinguish VT from SVT-aberrancy in many cases. Use ECG features to rule in VT, not to exclude it. Default: treat regular WCT as VT…
Key Points Idiopathic monomorphic VT arising from the right ventricular outflow tract. Most patients have no structural heart disease; catecholamine and cAMP-mediated triggers are common. Classic ECG pattern: LBBB morphology…
Key Points Idiopathic reentrant VT arising within the left Purkinje system, most often the left posterior fascicle. Patients are usually young and lack structural heart disease. Signature ECG: RBBB-like morphology…
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: QRS >120 ms with an irregular ventricular rate. Clinical Priority: Always first consider AF with accessory pathway (AF + WPW) and polymorphic VT (PMVT, including torsades) —…
Key Points: Bundle branch blocks widen the QRS, usually to 120 ms or more, because ventricular depolarization is delayed through one of the main bundle branches. The two classic patterns…
Key Points Definition: A fusion beat occurs when two impulses — one from the normal conduction system (typically supraventricular) and one from an ectopic ventricular focus (e.g., during VT) —…
Key Points Wide QRS Complex Rhythm: Ventricular escape rhythms (aka idioventricular rhythms) are characterized by a wide QRS duration (>120 ms), absent or dissociated P-waves, and a regular, slow ventricular…
Key Point Overview: Left bundle branch block (LBBB) is an intraventricular conduction delay that results from a block in the left bundle branch of the heart’s electrical conduction system. It…
Key Point Wide QRS bradycardias usually reflect infranodal conduction disease (His–Purkinje or below), making them much more dangerous than narrow QRS bradycardias. These rhythms often lead to hemodynamic instability and…
Key Points: Recognizing the Danger: Sodium channel blocker toxicity can present with a variety of ECG changes that are critical to recognize, especially in patients with altered mental status or…
A 54-year-old man with no significant PMHx presents to the ED with palpitations. He is hemodynamically stable with a normal blood pressure. The following ECG is obtained prior to the…
A 30-year-old man is pulled over by police for speeding. He begins feeling nauseous and has multiple episodes of vomiting. During transport to the emergency department by EMS he is…
A 40-year-old man is brought into the ED after being found in the street and noted to have intermittent seizures. He is tachycardic, hypertensive, and febrile. The following ECG was…
A 76-year-old woman presents to the ED with dyspnea and a syncopal episode. History is limited because the patient is listless and confused. The following ECG was obtained:
A 50-year-old man is referred from clinic to the ED for chest tightness for the past 3 hours and a presumed new left bundle branch block. He is found to…
A young woman presents to the ED unconscious with a GCS of 4. The following ECG was obtained during the initial evaluation:
HPI: A 70-year-old man presents with generalized malaise. He has a history of ESRD and has missed dialysis this week. The following ECG is obtained: Case ECG Before watching…