Cardiac arrhythmias
Framing
- Cardiac arrhythmias are classified by origin (supraventricular vs ventricular) and by mechanism (conduction block/bradyarrhythmia vs re-entrant/automatic tachyarrhythmia) - this classification, read directly from the 12-lead ECG, determines both acute management (rate/rhythm control vs pacing) and longer-term risk (thromboembolic risk in atrial fibrillation, sudden death risk in ventricular tachycardia)
- Haemodynamic stability at presentation is the immediate management fork for any arrhythmia - an unstable patient requires emergency electrical intervention (cardioversion/pacing) regardless of the specific rhythm diagnosis
1 more section, plus exam facts
Premium unlocks every note across every specialty, and the full exam fact library behind it.
Get premium access