EKG Arrhythmias & Dysrhythmias Flashcards
6 cards from real EKG certification Certification practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 EKG Arrhythmias & Dysrhythmias flashcards as text
A patient's EKG shows a regular rhythm with sawtooth-shaped flutter waves at a rate of 300 bpm and a ventricular rate of 150 bpm. What is the most likely diagnosis?
Answer: Atrial flutter with 2:1 block
Sawtooth flutter waves at 300 bpm with a ventricular rate of 150 bpm indicate atrial flutter with 2:1 conduction block.
Which arrhythmia is characterized by the absence of P waves and an irregularly irregular rhythm on EKG?
Answer: Atrial fibrillation
Atrial fibrillation is defined by absent P waves replaced by fibrillatory waves and an irregularly irregular ventricular rhythm.
On a rhythm strip, you observe a wide-complex tachycardia at 180 bpm with AV dissociation. What is the most likely interpretation?
Answer: Ventricular tachycardia
AV dissociation in the setting of a wide-complex tachycardia is highly indicative of ventricular tachycardia.
A patient presents with a heart rate of 40 bpm, a regular rhythm, and narrow QRS complexes with no visible P waves. What rhythm is most likely?
Answer: Junctional escape rhythm
A regular narrow-complex rhythm at 40 bpm without visible P waves is consistent with a junctional escape rhythm.
Which EKG finding is most characteristic of Torsades de Pointes?
Answer: Polymorphic QRS complexes that appear to twist around the baseline
Torsades de Pointes is a polymorphic ventricular tachycardia with QRS complexes that rotate around the isoelectric baseline, creating a twisting appearance.
A patient's EKG shows progressively lengthening PR intervals until a QRS complex is dropped, followed by a shorter PR interval. What type of heart block is this?
Answer: Second-degree AV block Type I (Wenckebach)
Progressive PR prolongation followed by a dropped QRS and then a shorter PR interval is the hallmark Wenckebach pattern of second-degree Type I AV block.