Ventricular Arrhythmias
Ventricular arrhythmias occur when the ventricles aka the lower chambers of the heart beat irregularly. In other words, the electrical impulses from the ventricles are abnormal. There are many reasons why the ventricles may fire erratically, including: coronary artery disease (CAD), myocardial infarction (MI), trauma, severe hemorrhage and shock.
Ventricular Tachycardia
Heart rate between 100 and 170 beats per minute may be defined as ventricular tachycardia (V-tach).
Characteristics of V-tach include:
-
P wave: absent or hard to identify
-
PR interval: Cannot be identified
-
QRS complex: More than 0.12 seconds and weird
-
T wave: Usually hard to identify or absent
-
QRS rate: varies over 220 beats per minute
-
QRS rate: Regular or slightly irregular
Symptoms of Ventricular Tachycardia
Heart rate more than 220. Many patients are pulseless and unconscious.
​
Treatment
​
Must be treated. Give Lidocaine or synchronized cardio-version. Watch for possibility of conversion to Ventricular fibrillation.