Cardiac Arrhythmias and Management

These flashcards cover essential vocabulary related to cardiac arrhythmias, management strategies, and nursing interventions.

Atrial Fibrillation (AFib)

Characterized by an irregularly irregular rhythm, carries a risk of stroke, and often requires anticoagulation therapy.

Ventricular Fibrillation (VF)

A life-threatening condition that necessitates immediate defibrillation and CPR to restore normal heart rhythm.

Ventricular Tachycardia (VT)

Management may include antiarrhythmic drugs, cardioversion, and the use of an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD).

Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT)

Key nursing intervention includes performing vagal maneuvers.

Sinus Bradycardia

Nursing priority is monitoring for symptoms of decreased cardiac output.

Atrioventricular (AV) Block

Critical nursing intervention involves monitoring for progression to a higher-degree block.

Symptomatic Bradycardia

Primary treatment involves the administration of Atropine.

Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS)

Common symptom includes chest pain.

Cardiac Biomarkers

Troponin T and I are the most specific indicators of cardiac muscle injury.

Hypertension

A modifiable risk factor which can be influenced by lifestyle changes, such as increasing physical activity.

Coronary Atherosclerosis

The primary goal of management is to control blood pressure.

Diagnostic Test for Heart Activity

The Electrocardiogram (ECG) is commonly used to assess heart function.

Common Symptoms of Heart Failure

Dyspnea is a typical symptom encountered in heart failure patients.

Blood Pressure Measurement

Before taking a reading, it is recommended to avoid caffeine, exercise, and smoking for at least 30 minutes.