Course V Fib

January 19, 2024 Post a Comment

Course v fib

Coarse ventricular fibrillation: When the fibrillation is strong, the peaks are taller and the valleys are deeper. It's called “coarse” because the line is anything but smooth. Fine ventricular fibrillation: When the peaks and valleys are short and shallow, this is called fine ventricular fibrillation.

What is the most common cause of ventricular fibrillation?

V-fib most commonly occurs during an acute heart attack or shortly thereafter. When heart muscle does not get enough blood flow, it can become electrically unstable and cause dangerous heart rhythms. A heart that has been damaged by a heart attack or other heart muscle damage is vulnerable to V-fib.

What does course ventricular fibrillation look like?

Ventricular fibrillation shows no clear P waves, T waves, or QRS complexes on an ECG, and the deflection rate may be up to 500 per minute. Because the heartbeat is erratic from struggling to pump blood, deflections will vary in amplitude and usually decrease as time goes on.

Which is worse V-fib or AFib?

While not as common as AFib, ventricular fibrillation is more deadly. It can cause sudden cardiac arrest or sudden cardiac death, the leading killer in the U.S.

What is the first line treatment for ventricular fibrillation?

Ventricular Fibrillation/Pulseless Ventricular Tachycardia. The most critical interventions during the first minutes of VF or pulseless VT are immediate bystander CPR (Box 1) with minimal interruption in chest compressions and defibrillation as soon as it can be accomplished (Class I).

What is the best treatment for ventricular fibrillation?

External electrical defibrillation remains the most successful treatment for ventricular fibrillation (VF). A shock is delivered to the heart to uniformly and simultaneously depolarize a critical mass of the excitable myocardium.

What medications can cause ventricular fibrillation?

These include primarily the antiarrhythmic drugs (IA, IC, sotalol and bepridil), digitalis, sympathomimetics and phosphodiesterase inhibitors.

Can stress cause ventricular fibrillation?

Chronic stress can lead to reduced heart rate variability, increased QT dispersion and reduced baroreceptor sensitivity. Patients with greatest changes in the cardiac neural regulation associated with increased sympathetic activity due to stress have the greatest risk for developing fatal ventricular arrhythmias [9].

How do you get ventricular fibrillation?

Ventricular Fibrillation Causes and Risk Factors

Weakened heart muscle (cardiomyopathy)
Prior heart attack.
Certain genetic diseases.
Certain heart medicines.
Imbalance of electrolytes in the blood.
Very low blood pressure (shock)
Electrical shock.
Drowning.

Can VFib correct itself?

Ventricular fibrillation seldom terminates spontaneously, since several re-entrant wavefronts, independent from each other, coexist, and the simultaneous extinction of all the circuits is unlikely.

How long can you live with ventricular fibrillation?

Survival: Overall survival to 1 month was only 1.6% for patients with non-shockable rhythms and 9.5% for patients found in VF. With increasing time to defibrillation, the survival rate fell rapidly from approximately 50% with a minimal delay to 5% at 15 min.

Does a pacemaker help ventricular fibrillation?

A dual chamber pacemaker paces the atrium and ventricle. A biventricular pacemaker paces both ventricles. An implantable cardioverter-defibrillator can work as a pacemaker would. In addition, if it detects ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation, it sends out a shock to reset the heart to a normal rhythm.

Can you have a pulse with VFib?

Ventricular fibrillation is always diagnosed in an emergency situation. A pulse check will reveal no pulse if sudden cardiac death occurred. Tests to diagnose and determine the cause of ventricular fibrillation include: Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG).

How can you prevent ventricular fibrillation?

How can ventricular fibrillation be prevented?

You should eat a heart-healthy diet.
You should stay active, such as by walking 30 minutes per day.
If you smoke, start thinking about ways to help you quit.
Avoid drinking excess alcohol, which can put extra stress on your heart.

What is the heart rate in ventricular fibrillation?

This condition may also be called V-tach or VT. A healthy heart typically beats about 60 to 100 times a minute at rest. In ventricular tachycardia, the heart beats faster, usually 100 or more beats a minute.

What is the drug of choice for ventricular arrhythmias?

Amiodarone (Cordarone, Pacerone, Nexterone) Amiodarone is the drug of choice for the treatment of hemodynamically unstable VT that is refractory to other antiarrhythmic agents.

Why do we shock VF?

Ventricular fibrillation is life-threatening and requires prompt treatment. Collapse and sudden cardiac death will follow in minutes unless medical help is provided immediately. If treated in time, ventricular fibrillation can be converted into a normal rhythm by shocking the heart with a device called a defibrillator.

Why is ventricular fibrillation more serious than atrial?

Ventricular fibrillation is more serious than atrial fibrillation. Ventricular fibrillation frequently results in loss of consciousness and death, because ventricular arrhythmias are more likely to interrupt the pumping of blood, or undermine the heart's ability to supply the body with oxygen-rich blood.

What medications should be avoided with atrial fibrillation?

Atrial Fibrillation Drugs to Avoid

Warfarin (also known as Coumadin and Jantoven)
Apixaban (also known as Eliquis)
Rivaroxaban (also known as Xarelto)
Aspirin.
Enoxaparin (also known as Lovenox)
Clopidogrel (also known as Plavix)
Heparin.
Dabigatran (also known as Pradaxa)

Why does AFib happen at night?

A: It's not uncommon for atrial fibrillation (AFib) to occur at night. The nerves that control your heart rate typically are in sleep mode, and that's when your resting heart rate drops. Under these conditions, pacemaker activity from areas other than the normal pacemaker in the heart can trigger the onset of AFib.