how can you see that a rhythm is ventricular?

Question

please, Ive like to know the answer of the topic bout the: how can you see that a rhythm is ventricular?

Answer 1

1. first clue is that the QRS complexes generally look BIZARRE

2.there is no P wave which means the rhythm is not coming from the atria . P waves might not be visible in supraventricular tachycardias , but usually they can be told apart by the NARROW QRS complexes in supraventricular tachycardia.

3. QRS complexes originating in the ventricles are WIDE and LARGE .

4. the rate also gives a clue
ventricular rhythm can be either very slow (ventricular escape rhythm in cases of complete heart block , like 40 beats a min,)

or they can be moderately fast like in ventricular tachycardia (deadly condition) where there is complete loss of QRS configuration , and ventricular fibrillation (death imminent) where there is no wave pattern at all , just chaotic tracings .
in any case fast ventricular rhythm are never as fast as atrial or supraventricular rhythms can be (usually ventricular up to 150/min while atrial arythmia reaches 300 beats/min)

Answer 2

Carlos,

That really depends on what you mean. Do you mean how can you tell if a bad rhythm comes from the ventricles? Or do you mean how can you tell what a ventricular rhythm is?

A "ventricular rhythm" just means that the ventricles, the two bottom chambers of the heart, are beating. Since they pump the blood to the rest of your body, they are pretty important.

If your ventricles are not beating correctly, you will know it immediately, for you will faint and quite possibly die. There are many bad beats that ventricles can make: too fast, too slow, out of time with the atria, all of which are very bad, but the worst one is the too-fast beat, because when the ventricles do that, they almost always try to go too fast even for themselves and stop, just quivering. That's when we die.

Now, if you mean how can we see a ventricular rhythm on an ekg (electrocardiogram) tracing, there are several good websites that will teach you what a heartbeat looks like on paper.

It is a little tricky to read, since the ekg reads electrical activity of the heart, and the cells of the nerves of the heart "depolarize" to send the electrical signal down the heart to make it beat, and then "repolarize" to get ready for the next beat.

Look at an ekg trace. There's always a little bump, then a really big, sharp one, then another little one. the first little bump is the depolarizing of the nerve cells in the top of the heart. That's when the two top chambers of the heart beat. Then the big, tall, sharp spike is the depolarizing of the cells of the ventricles and therefore the beating of the bottom chambers. The last, little bump is the repolarizing of the nerve cells. At that point they are getting ready for the next beat.

So one way you can tell that a rhythm is ventricular is the big, tall, sharp spike on the ekg. As long as it's narrow and sharp, the ventricles are healthy.

As long as the ekg looks like that, the rhythm is called "sinus rhythm," which the doctors say when they mean "good, healthy heart rhythm."

Now, many things can go wrong with the heart. When it does, the ekg starts looking different. If the tall spike is wide and not narrow, if there are extra dips at the end of the tall spike, if there are too many of one kind of bump, if some of the spaces between the bumps are too long, all these mean that the heart is sick, and the ventricles are not beating right.


So the short answer is, if I understand your question right:

1. As long as you are alive, you have a ventricular rhythm (the ventricles are beating).

2. To see what kind of rhythm the ventricles have, you would need at least an ekg test.

3. You could also have an echocardiogram, or an ultrasound test of the heart. Then you would actually be able to watch your heart beat and see the ventricles working.

I hope that this helps.

Answer 3

When you look at an EKG strip and you see a big wild looking out of the ordinary, fat, sometimes upside down, sometimes not. thing that resembles a wide, QRS, that is a ventricular beat. Sometimes they come 1 at a time, sometimes they come in 2's and sometimes then come in runs of what is known as V tach.
That is a ventricular rythm. The pt usually starts decompensating if it goes on for too long.

Answer 4

Basically anytime your heart beats it's "ventricular." all the atria do is pump the last 20-25% into the ventricles before they send the blood on to the arteries. You probably wouldn't even notice an atrial problem unless you were exercising and really needed the extra oxygen.

Answer 5

It would be impossible to teach you over the internet.

Why do you need to know whether it is ventricular or atrial?

Answer 6

YOU cant, a Doctor can with a heart monitor that is connected to you...

Also, they can "hear" if you have a normal or irregular heart beat, and thats a give away, so they put you on a monitor and find out which it is...

I wish you well..

Jesse

Answer 7

ECG Made Easy

Answer 8

you will have to have tests run by your doctor and some of these may need to be invasive.