ECG Rhythms Guide

By behereaxum

Summary

Every beat tells a story. Let's learn to read the rhythms.

Chapters

  1. Every beat tells a story. Let's (0s)
  2. First, normal sinus rhythm: a P (4s)
  3. Atrial fibrillation is irregularly irregular, with (22s)
  4. First-degree block simply prolongs the PR (38s)
  5. When the AV junction takes over, (61s)
  6. If the ventricles must pace alone, (79s)
  7. Now the emergencies. Ventricular tachycardia is (93s)
  8. A sinus pause is a sudden (93s)
  9. Finally, look at the ST segment. (93s)
  10. Twenty-two rhythms, one skill. Keep practicing, (93s)

Transcript

Every beat tells a story. Let's learn to read the rhythms. First, normal sinus rhythm: a P wave before every QRS, sixty to a hundred beats a minute, evenly spaced. Sinus bradycardia is the same pattern, just slower, under sixty. Sinus tachycardia keeps the shape but races past a hundred. Atrial fibrillation is irregularly irregular, with no true P waves, just a chaotic wavy baseline. Atrial flutter shows a repeating sawtooth of flutter waves. And SVT is a fast, narrow, regular run, often too quick to see P waves at all. First-degree block simply prolongs the PR interval; every beat conducts, just late. Mobitz Type One shows the PR interval stretching longer and longer until a beat drops. Mobitz Type Two drops beats suddenly, with no warning. And in third-degree block, atria and ventricles march completely independently. When the AV junction takes over, P waves may be inverted or missing. A junctional escape rhythm is slow, around forty to sixty. Accelerated junctional runs a bit faster. And junctional tachycardia pushes past a hundred, still narrow and regular. If the ventricles must pace alone, the QRS goes wide and bizarre. A ventricular escape rhythm crawls under forty, while an accelerated idioventricular rhythm runs faster but still wide. Now the emergencies. Ventricular tachycardia is a fast, wide, regular run. Ventricular fibrillation is chaotic and quivering, with no real complexes, start CPR. And asystole is a flat line, no electrical activity at all. Both demand immediate action. A sinus pause is a sudden gap where the heart simply skips a beat. A premature ventricular contraction, or PVC, is an early, wide complex that interrupts the normal rhythm. Finally, look at the ST segment. Elevation above the baseline can signal a heart attack. Depression below it may point to ischemia. Always compare against the flat baseline. Twenty-two rhythms, one skill. Keep practicing, and read every strip with confidence.