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Recommended: Atrial Fibrillation
(5) Atrial fibrillation
The rate of atrial fibrillation is 10-15% among patients who have AMIs. The presence of atrial fibrillation during an AMI is associated with an increased risk of mortality and stroke, particularly in patients who have anterior-wall MI (Ashok et al. 2011).
AF develops for many different reasons, including left ventricular dys-function with hemodynamic impairment (Kobayashi et al., 1992), atrial is-chemia or infarction (particularly in patients with early onset atrial fibrilla-tion in the course of acute myocardial infarction), right ventricular infarction (Rechavia et al., 1992), pericarditis, excessive release of catecholamines. Atrial fibrillation is usually abrupt in onset and can cause rapid hemody-namic instability through one of three mechanisms: loss of the atrial com-ponent of the cardiac output, increased ventricular response rate with de-creased diastolic filling time, or irregular ventricular filling (Cristal et al., 1976).
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The occurrence of atrial fibrillation is not related to the site of the my-ocardial infarct the relation of atrial fibrillation to outcome has been exten-sively investigated, and it is commonly considered a marker of poor prog-nosis (Liberthson et al.,
There are several different heart problems that show up as an abnormal EKG reading. For example, a heart block can occur when there is a delay in the signals coming from the SA node, AV node, or the Purkinje fibers. However, clinically the term heart block is used to refer to an AV block. This delays or completely stops communication between the atria and the ventricles. AV block is shown on the EKG as a delayed or prolonged PR interval. The P wave represents the activity in the atria, and the QRS complex represents ventricular activity. This is why the PR interval shows the signal delay from the AV node. There are three degrees of severity, and if the delay is greater than .2 seconds it is classified as first degree. Second degree is classified by several regularly spaced P waves before each QRS complex. Third degree can be shown by P waves that have no spacing relationship to the QRS complex. Another type of blockage is bundle branch block. This is caused by a blockage in the bundle of His, creating a delay in the electrical signals traveling down the bundle branches to reach the ventricles. This results in a slowed heart beat, or brachycardia. On an EKG reading this is shown as a prolonged QRS complex. A normal QRS is about .8-.12 seconds, and anything longer is considered bundle branch block. Another type of abnormal EKG reading is atrial fibrillation, when the atria contracts very quickly. On the EKG this is shown by no clear P waves, only many small fibrillating waves, and no PR interval to measure. This results in a rapid and irregular heartbeat. On the other hand, ventricular fibrillation is much more serious and can cause sudden death if not treated by electrical defibrillation.
In this lab, I took two recordings of my heart using an electrocardiogram. An electrocardiogram, EKG pg. 628 Y and pg. 688 D, is a recording of the heart's electrical impulses, action potentials, going through the heart. The different phases of the EKG are referred to as waves; the P wave, QRS Complex, and the T wave. These waves each signify the different things that are occurring in the heart. For example, the P wave occurs when the sinoatrial (SA) node, aka the pacemaker, fires an action potential. This causes the atria, which is currently full of blood, to depolarize and to contract, aka atrial systole. The signal travels from the SA node to the atrioventricular (AV) node during the P-Q segment of the EKG. The AV node purposefully delays
With the goals of 2010 in mind, it is important for the AHA to be able to measure the actions of their employees and ensure the alignment of their behaviors with the strategic goals of the association. The Balance Score Card developed below serves as universal tool to do just that, but also sends a message to leaders and employees across the association that this is the new strategic direction the association will be moving, and this is it will be mapped and measured to ensure we reach our goals for 2010.
The purpose for the stent was to hold the coronary artery open to allow the blood to flow more freely.
It occurs because of repetitive electrical activity. This can occur in a patient with early or late heart failure, because there is damage to the heart tissue and the heart beats faster to try to supply the body with blood. Recommended treatment is elective cardioversion. Drugs used include an antidysrhythmic such as Mexitil or Sotalol (Ignatavicius &Workman, p. 728-729).
Heart disease is one of the most common causes of the mortality and morbidity in most well developed countries. They come in different forms such as stroke and other cardiovascular diseases and it’s the number one cause of death in the state of America. In the year 2011 alone nearly 787,000 people were killed as a result of this epidemic. And this included Hispanic, Africans, whites and Americans. As for the Asian Americans or pacific Islanders, American Indians and the natives of Alaska, the concept to them was a second only to cancer. However, statistics has proved that a person gets heart attack every 34 seconds and in every 60 seconds, someone dies out of it which include other related event. Additionally, majority of the women are the
After review of the clinical information provided by North Central Bronx Hospital, the Medical Director has denied your admission to North Central Bronx Hospital. It was determined that the clinical information did not justify an inpatient stay. Acute inpatient hospitalization was not medically necessary. You are a 56 year old female with complaints of worsening pressure-like chest pain on the left sided that radiated to your left arm and neck. The symptoms began when you were at rest and woke you from your sleep. Based on the Interqual guideline (a decision based program to determine medical need) criteria to for acute coronary syndrome the clinical guidelines were not met because troponins were negative, there was no diagnostic testing such as a stress test, or documentation of ischemia in the clinical information that was submitted.
This syndrome increase blood flow causes the heart to pump blood to the lungs at an increasing rate and destroys the blood vessels in the lungs. Several Heart defects that causes disorder is ventricular septal defect (VSD), atrial septal defect (ASD), Patent ductus arteriosus (PDS), and Atrioventricular canal defect (ACD) (Mayo Clinic,2016) This hole usually causes symptoms that include blue or gray skin pigments, shortness of breath, extreme fatigue, chest pains, racing or skipped heart beats, and dizziness. Other symptoms include coughing up blood, swelling in the abdominal region, and numb and/or enlarged fingers and toes. Some of the way ER syndrome can be diagnosed are Chest X-ray are used for heart and pulmonary artery enlargement. Electrocardiogram (ECG) electrical activity of the heart that help test for heart defect that are caused by ES, Echocardiogram is normally used for listing to sound of the heart during, but during ER testing it helps to see if the patient have a heart defect, Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is used to take images of blood vessels and lungs and blood test is use to check blood count, which ES would make it
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a cardiac arrhythmia. It is the most common arrhythmia and it has implications for patients and anaesthetists alike. The anaesthetist must take into consideration the physiological and pharmacological implications of this common arrhythmia.
This assignment is a case study that aims to explore the biospychosocial impacts of a myocardial infarction on a service user. It will focus on the interventions used by healthcare professionals throughout the patient’s journey to recovery. To abide by the NMC’s code of conduct (2015) which states that all nurses owe a duty of confidentiality to all those who are receiving care, the service user used in this case study will be referred to as Julie. Julie is a 67 year old lady who was rushed to her local accident and emergency following an episode of acute chest pain and was suspected to have suffered from a myocardial infarction. Julie who lives alone reported she had been experiencing shortness of breath and
The primary concern for Mr. Miller would be preventing further ischemia and necrosis of the myocardial tissues, preventing serious complications such as cardiac dysrhythmias and heart failure, as well as relieving his chest pain that radiates to his left arm. Preventing further ischemia and necrosis of the myocardial tissue will help prevent the development of heart failure due to myocardial infarction, whereas relieving his pain will help reduce his episodes of shortness of breath, and will also help to reduce any anxiety and restlessness he may be having from being in pain and short of breath.
According to the American Heart Association / American Stroke Association’s About Stroke (2014) “stroke is the number four cause of death and the leading cause of adult disability in the United States” (para.1). On average, a stroke happens every 40 seconds in the United States (Impact of Stroke, para. 1) About 4% to 17% of all patients with stroke experience symptom onset while hospitalized (Cumbler, et al., 2014). This amounts to about 35,000-75,000 in-hospital strokes in the United States annually.
Most often the disease starts in the left ventricle, and then often spreads to both the atrium and right ventricle as well. Usually there will also be mitral and tricuspid regurgitation, due to the dilation of the annuli. This regurgitation will continue to make problems worse by adding excessive volume and pressure to the atria, which is what then causes them to dilate. Once the atria become dilated it often leads to atrial fibrillation. As the volume load increases the ventricles become more dilated and over time the myocytes become weakened and cannot contract as they should. As you might have guessed with the progressive myocyte degeneration, there is a reduction in cardiac output which then may present as signs of heart failure (Lily).
When a person has Atrial Fibrillation, the sinoatrial node releases multiple quick impulses at a rate of 350 -600 times per minute. When this happens, the ventricles respond by beating around 120- 200 beats per minute, making it tough to identify an accurate heart rate. This arrhythmia can be the result of various things. During a normal heart beat, the electrical impulse begins at the sinoatrial node and travels down the conduction pathway until the ventricles contract. Once that happens, the SA node fires again and the process keeps on cycling (Ignatavicius & Workman, 2013).
The heart beats when electrical signals move through it. Ventricular fibrillation is a condition in which the heart's electrical activity becomes disordered. When this happens, the heart's lower (pumping) chambers contract in a rapid, unsynchronized way. (The ventricles "flutter" rather than beat.) The heart pumps little or no blood therefore the probability of death is high.