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PVCS and MORE

Sometimes you see an ECG strip, look at it and then put it away again with the thought: I don't understand this. But if you take your time and analyze the ECG systematically, you will usually come to a good result. This is an example of such an ECG (certainly not the most difficult). The explanation is shown in the 2nd picture.

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Sick Sinus Syndrome

The ECG shows an example of a patient with bradycardia/tachycardia syndrome (also called sick sinus syndrome). Initially, a sinus rhythm with a heart rate of approx. 70 bpm is seen. This is followed by sinus arrest of just under 3000 ms, followed by a junctional escape beat (no preceding P wave, QRS remains narrow). After a further pause of just under 2000 ms, 2 sinus node beats follow, which merge into a sinus tachycardia or atrial tachycardia (heart rate approx. 120 bpm here).

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AV Nodal Reentry Tachycardia on a Holter Monitor Strip

The first 3 beats are sinus node beats, all have the same morphology of the P wave. This is followed by a PAC, which is conducted via the fast pathway in the AV node. The next PAC is conducted via the slow pathway, then the AV nodal reentry tachycardia (slow/fast) starts. The retrograde P waves are visible at the end of the QRS complex in the lower lead K3.

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PVCs With VA Conduction

Why is the pause after the PVCs relatively long? We see a sinus arrhythmia in the rhythm strip. The ventricular extrasystoles penetrate the AV node retrogradely and reset the sinus rhythm, which then restarts. VA conduction can be recognized by the inverted P wave following the QRS complex of the ventricular extrasystole (PVC).

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PVCs And Their Relationship to P waves, Some Examples

In order to differentiate supraventricular extrasystoles/tachycardias with aberrant conduction from ventricular extrasystoles/tachycardias, the search for P waves is often very important. Here are some examples of how the P waves can be positioned around the ventricular extrasystoles.

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Complete Right Bundle Branch Block With AV Block and More

This is the ECG of a 50-year-old man with a congenital heart defect (we do not have exact details).
To interpret an ECG with several different abnormalities, you have to proceed systematically. You can see my comments in the second picture. Perhaps Dawn would like to add something?

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An Interesting Holter Strip

Here you can see a long rhythm strip from a Holter ECG, written at 25 mm/s. On the left, a sinus bradyarrhythmia can be seen first, followed by an atrial tachycardia. After a few beats this changes back into a sinus bradyarrhythmia. Then follows a short VT over 3 beats, after 1 sinus node beat then a ventricular couplet. Sinus bradyarrhythmia again at the end.

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Atrial Fibrillation With Rate-related Left Bundle Branch Block

For a better overview, the leads aVL and V2-V4 are not shown in this ECG. The basic rhythm is atrial fibrillation (no P waves or flutter waves visible, but fibrillation waves). When the conduction rate drops, the QRS complexes are narrow. Faster conduction results in wide QRS complexes with LBBB morphology. This is an example of phase 3 (acceleration dependant) LBBB.

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VENTRICULAR TACHYCARDIA WITH SUCCESSFUL ATP

If ventricular tachycardia occurs in an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) wearer, the ICD can combat this with 2 different forms of therapy, provided these are activated (which can be done using a programming device). First, the ICD attempts to override the tachycardia. The fastest pacemaker gets control of the heart. If this is not successful, the defibrillator function is used. Here you can see the limb leads. Initially there is a relatively slow ventricular tachycardia.

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SUSTAINED VENTRICULAR TACHYCARDIA

A sustained VT is a ventricular rhythm with a frequency of more than 100 beats per minute that usually lasts at least 30 seconds or must be terminated earlier due to hemodynamic instability.
We see here a wide complex tachycardia with a frequency of approx. 105-110 beats per minute that lasts for a good minute. It begins with a premature QRS complex without a premature P wave. The short VT after the end of the sustained ventricular tachycardia with the same QRS morphology also indicates a ventricular origin of this arrhythmia.

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