ECG Rhythm Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering lethal, sinus, atrial, junctional, and ventricular rhythms, as well as heart blocks and test-day recognition rules from the ECG lecture notes.

Ventricular Tachycardia (V-Tach)

Ventricular Tachycardia (V-Tach)

A lethal rhythm characterized by fast, regular, wide QRS complexes; requires checking for a pulse.

Ventricular Fibrillation (V-Fib)

A lethal rhythm presenting with chaotic waves and no organized QRS, resulting in pulseless arrest.

Asystole

A lethal rhythm marked by no ventricular electrical activity; requires confirming the patient and leads, and performing CPR rather than defibrillation.

Torsades de Pointes

A lethal polymorphic V-Tach in which the QRS amplitude twists around the baseline.

Normal Sinus Rhythm (NSR)

A rhythm with a regular P-QRS-T pattern and a rate of $60-100\,\text{bpm}$.

Sinus Bradycardia

A normal sinus pattern with a rate below $60\,\text{bpm}$.

Sinus Tachycardia

A normal sinus pattern with a rate above $100\,\text{bpm}$.

Sinus Arrhythmia

A normal P-QRS-T rhythm displaying varying R-R intervals.

Sinus Pause

A sudden gap in expected sinus beats.

Premature Atrial Contraction (PAC)

An early beat presenting with an abnormal P-wave shape.

Atrial Flutter

An atrial rhythm featuring sawtooth flutter waves, often accompanied by regular conduction.

Atrial Fibrillation

An atrial rhythm that is irregularly irregular with no distinct P waves.

Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT)

A fast, usually regular rhythm with narrow QRS complexes where P waves may hide.

Junctional Rhythm

A rhythm with absent or inverted P waves and a rate typically between $40-60\,\text{bpm}$.

Premature Junctional Contraction (PJC)

An early narrow QRS complex occurring with an absent or inverted P wave.

Junctional Tachycardia

A fast junctional rhythm with a rate above $100\,\text{bpm}$.

First-Degree AV Block

A heart block in which the PR interval is $> 0.20\,\text{seconds}$ and every P wave conducts.

Second-Degree AV Block Type I

A heart block where the PR interval progressively lengthens until a QRS complex drops (longer PR, longer PR, dropped QRS).

Second-Degree AV Block Type II

A heart block characterized by a fixed PR interval in conducted beats and a sudden, unexpected dropped QRS complex.

Third-Degree AV Block

A complete heart block in which P waves and QRS complexes occur independently.

Bundle Branch Block (BBB)

Delayed ventricular conduction resulting in a QRS duration of $\ge 0.12\,\text{seconds}$.

Premature Ventricular Contraction (PVC)

An early wide QRS complex that occurs without a preceding sinus P wave.

Run of V-Tach

Three or more consecutive rapid ventricular beats.

Mobitz I

Another name for Second-Degree AV Block Type I, characterized by longer PR, longer PR, dropped QRS.

Mobitz II

Another name for Second-Degree AV Block Type II, characterized by a fixed PR and an unexpected dropped QRS.

1500 rule

A method used for regular rhythms to determine rate by calculating $1500$ divided by the number of small boxes between R waves.