Rhythm Interpretation

Intermittent runs of nonsustained ventricular tachycardia

A 48-year-old man presents to the ED with 3-4 days of palpitations. The patient has a stable blood pressure but is found to have new onset atrial fibrillation with RVR….

EMS ECGs: accelerated idioventricular rhythm (AIVR) in patients with ACS and other critical cases to help you save lives!

 A 69-year-old man is brought in by EMS to the ED with chest pain and shortness of breath. No prehospital treatment was rendered. The following prehospital ECG was obtained:

A specific tachyarrhythmia with an excellent prognosis

A 79-year-old man presents to the ED with intermittent episodes of decreased level of consciousness. He is placed on continuous 12-lead cardiac monitoring during his evaluation and a monitor alarm…

How to avoid misdiagnosing the most overcalled tachyarrhythmia by physicians and EGC machines

HPI:  A 64-year-old man presents to the ED with nausea and vomiting. He is tachycardic on arrival and the following ECG is obtained: Case ECG Before watching this week’s video,…

Differential Diagnoses: three main causes of narrow complex irregular tachycardias

HPI:  A 65-year-old male is brought to the ED with altered mental status. He seems confused and is found to be tachycardic and hypotensive (SBP=75). The following ECG is obtained…

Literature Review: risks of AV nodal blockade in patients with atrial fibrillation with WPW

HPI: A 25-year-old male presents to the ED with chest pain that radiates to the left arm. The pain is associated with diaphoresis and palpitations. The following ECG is obtained:…

Rhythm Interpretation: watch out for pokey T waves

A 62-year-old man presents to the ED with atypical chest pain and shortness of breath. The following ECG is obtained:

STAT ECG Diagnoses: when to avoid amiodarone

A 45-year-old man presents with nausea and vomiting. He appears dehydrated and reports taking furosemide chronically. Treatment with IV fluids and ondansetron is initiated, and the following rhythm strip is…

EMS ECGs: don’t trust the ECG computer interpretation…it will fool you!

EMS Cases: The definition of normal sinus rhythms and so much more!

A 89-year-old woman calls EMS for palpitations. The following ECG is obtained:

Rhythm Interpretation: the importance of patient assessment in managing malignant arrhythmias

A 74-year-old woman presents to the ED with shortness of breath. She has been taking azithromycin for cough. The following ECG is obtained:

Does response to adenosine rule out ventricular tachycardia?

A 54-year-old man with no PMHx presents to the ED with palpitations. He is noted to be tachycardic but is stable with a normal blood pressure. The following ECG is…

ECG Basics & Fundamentals: inspecting T waves closely, looking for buried P waves

A 65-year-old man presents to the ED with malaise, cough, and vomiting. The following ECG was obtained:

Sustained vs. nonsustained ventricular tachycardia

A 45-year-old woman presents with 1 week of frequent palpitations. She reports mild dyspnea and lightheadedness without any associated chest pain. She denies using caffeine, alcohol or illicit drugs. Family…

Literature Review: when are calcium channel blockers and beta blockers contraindicated in atrial fibillation

A 39-year-old man is being transported to the ED via EMS with palpitations, malaise, and chest pressure for the last 12 hours. EMS reports that the has severe tachycardia with a normal mental…

Differential Diagnoses: supraventricular tachycardia with ST segment elevation in aVR

A 57-year-old woman presents to the ED with palpitations and dyspnea. She has a prior history of having an elevated heart rate but has never been formally diagnosed with any specific tachydysrhythmia. The…

STAT ECG Diagnoses: how would this prehospital rhythm strip change your management?

A 10-year-old male is transported to your ED for recurrent seizures. The following prehospital rhythm strip was obtained:

Narrow Complex Tachycardia: inappropriate anticoagulation because of misdiagnosis

A 96-year-old man presents to the ED with a dry skin rash. On review of symptoms the patient reports 1-2 episodes of fleeting chest pain that is sharp. The following…

Wide Complex Tachycardias: what is the difference between polymorphic ventricular tachycardia and torsades des pointes

A 13-month-old female is transferred to you for intermittent torsades/dysrhythmias from a community ED. She has been slightly lethargic and has a cardiac history of VSD, ASD, and a PDA…

Bradyarrhythmias: bizarre slow rhythm that is not responding to ACLS