Difference between revisions of "Category:Altered Ventricular Impulse Formations"

Revision as of 09:45, 2 July 2010

Small Animals: Not as common as atrial abnormalities

Large Animals: Uncommon

====Causes====Cardiac or systemic pathology, Electrolyte disturbances, Electric Shock, Untreated ventricular tachycardia, Hypoxia etc.

ECG Appearance: Flat base line

Small Animals

These rhythms occur in an effort to maintain heart function when the SA or AV nodes are not functioning properly. Escape rhythms occur in pacemaker tissue found in the atria, around the AV node, or in the ventricles. These ectopic rhythms occur at a regular, but slower depolarization rate compared to the dominant SA and AV nodal pacemakers.

ECG Appearance: Depending on where the escape rhythms originate, they can appear either as ectopic beats with a normal or totally abnormal shape.

====Treatment==== Do not use antiarrhythmic drugs in the presence of escape rhythms or else you risk death.

The following 5 pages are in this category, out of 5 total.

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
-===3. Ventricular Fibrillation===
+===3. [[Ventricular Fibrillation]]===
-*Total lack of organized ventricular depolarization causing cardiopulmonary arrest and death.
-====Causes====
-Cardiac or systemic pathology, Electrolyte disturbances, Electric Shock, Untreated ventricular tachycardia, Hypoxia etc.
-'''ECG Appearance:''' Wavy baseline without any sign of an organized P, QRS, or T wave
-====Treatment====
-'''Small Animals'''
-*Cardiopulmonary resuscitation: electrical defibrillation, open-chest cardiac massage, intratracheal lidocaine
-'''Large Animals'''
-*Rarely detected in large animals before death
-*There is no treatment for large animals with this condition
 ===4. Ventricular Asystole===