Non-sustained episodes of ventricular tachycardiaIs a cardiac rhythm characterized by rapidly occurring wide QRS complexes with absent or infrequent P waves evident; the absence of atrial kick, the lack of filling time, and the tendency for ventricular tachycardia to change to ventricular fibrillation makes... (runs of VT) – consisting of 3 or more consecutive PVCs – can also be called bursts or salvos of ventricular tachycardiaA cardiac rhythm with a rate above 100/minute; for example, if the impulse originates from the atria with a rate of 160/minute, the rhythm is called an atrial tachycardia. A cardiac rhythm is usually named first by the location of....
A patient often senses a period of syncopeA symptom of lightheadedness or dizziness. 1. Six Second ECG Guidebook (2012), T Barill, p. 206 during these episodes. Runs of VT can result in reduced blood flowThe purpose of the cardiac cycle is to effectively pump blood. The purpose of the cardiac cycle is to effectively pump blood. The right heart delivers deoxygenated blood to the lungs. Here oxygen is picked up and carbon dioxide is... as these wide QRSThe electrical representation of ventricular depolarization; the atrial repolarization is also a part of the QRS. ECG interpretation relies heavily on the QRS complex. The QRS complex represents the depolarization of the ventricles. The repolarization of the atria is also... complexes and reduced filling timeDuring diastole, the blood is drawn into the ventricle. This takes time, referred to as “filling time”. Without an adequate filling time, the ventricle receives less blood. With less blood volume, stroke volume and cardiac output falls. Figure 2.2 Cardiac... combine to decrease stroke volumeThe amount of blood ejected by either the right or left ventricle with one beat (contraction). While heart rate is an undisputed contributor to cardiac output, stroke volume is the other major player. As heart rates vary to changes in.... Runs of VT can also deteriorate into ventricular fibrillationA chaotic unorganized cardiac rhythm with several firing regions within the ventricles; the result is uncoordinated ventricular activity and NO cardiac output – a lethal dysrhythmia; fine ventricular fibrillation defines an amplitude less than 3 mm; coarse ventricular fibrillation has... or become sustained ventricular tachycardia with resultant hemodynamic compromise.
Causes of these non-sustained episodes of ventricular tachycardia are similar to those that result in PVCs – acute myocardial ischemiaInsufficient supply of oxygen to meet the oxygen demands of tissue. Anaerobic metabolism becomes increasingly important during periods of ischemia. Ischemia results from an inadequate blood flow that fails to meet the oxygen demands (energy demands) of tissues. If tissues..., electrolyte imbalances and episodes of high catecholamine levels (epinephrine, norepinephrine). These episodes can also arise when the myocardiumThe muscle layer of the heart; the middle layer that is responsible for contraction of the heart. The muscular myocardium is the thickest layer and the workhorse of the heart. It is composed of specialized muscle and electrical cells that... is reperfused following vessel occlusion i.e. from fibrinolytic therapy or a cardiac catheterization procedure. Episodes of ventricular tachycardia can also be benign.
