What is the average heart rate on the first half of this ECG?
What is the average heart rate on the first half of this ECG?
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*<font color="white"> This recording is 25mm/sec, so 25 of the small boxes represent a second. </font>
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*<font color="white"> This recording is 25mm/sec, so 25 of the small boxes represent a second and 5 of the larger boxes represent a second. If you count the number of beats starting from the first thick line over the following 4 seconds (20 of the larger squares) you get 15 beats. So in 4 seconds there were 15 beats. Hence in one minute there will be 15x15 beats. The average heart rate is 225 beats per minute. </font>
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*Click [[Clinical Case 4 - Page 3|here]] to see the results.
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Can you see any P waves? Why do you think this might be?
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*<font color="white"> No. This dog has atrial fibrillation. P waves are absent. </font>
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In the first half of the ECG, why does the 5th complex look different to the rest?
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*<font color="white"> This complex is wider than the others indicating that it is of ventricular origin. It is a ventricular premature complex (VPC)</font>
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In the second part of the ECG, what do we call the series of abnormal complexes?
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*<font color="white"> This is a run of VPCs. As there are more than three in succession, this is called ventricular tachycardia. <font>