Cardiac dysrhythmias come in different degrees of severity. There are heart conditions that you are able to live with and manage on a daily basis and those that require immediate attention. Atrial Fibrillation is one of the more frequently seen types of dysrhythmias (NIH, 2011). The best way to diagnosis a heart condition is by reading a cardiac strip (Ignatavicius &Workman, 2013). Cardiac strips play an chief part in the nursing world allowing the nurse and other trained medical professionals to interpret what the heart is doing. In a normal strip, one can clearly identify a P wave before every QRS complex, which is then followed by a T wave; in Atrial Fibrillation, the Sinoatrial node fires irregularly causing there to be no clear P wave and an irregular QRS complex (Ignatavicius & Workman, 2013). Basically, it means that the atria, the upper chambers of the heart, are contracting too quickly and no clear P wave is identified because of this ‘fibrillation’ (Ignatavicius & Workman, 2013).
Clinical Manifestations and Pathophysiology
A normal heart rhythm begins at the sinoatrial node and follows the hearts conduction pathway without any problems. Typically the sinoatrial node fires between 60-100 times per minute (Ignatavicius & Workman, 2013). 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 happe...
... middle of paper ...
...lso recommended not only for patients with dysrhythmias, but for everyone. It promotes a positive attitude, gets the blood flowing and is shown to reduce stress levels (Shea & Sears, 2008)
Conclusion
As mentioned earlier, Atrial Fibrillation is one of the most common cardiac dysrhythmias in the world. It is easily treatment and managed as long as the patient follows the advice of medical professionals. The exact cause and triggers of atrial fibrillation are unknown and are still being researched today. Through patient education, medication regimen, healthy diet, understanding your condition, and being conscious of your emotional health are crucial when it comes to the management of atrial fibrillation.
Works Cited
Ignatavicius, D. D., & Workman, M. L. (2013). Medical-surgical nursing: patient-centered collaborative care (7th ed.). St. Louis: Elsevier Saunders.
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.
The purpose of this paper is to critique a qualitative research article in all phases of the report. For this purpose, the article that will be used is “Lamentation and loss: expression of caring by contemporary surgical nurses” written by Carol Enns and David Gregory. This paper will address the problem statement, literature review, conceptual underpinnings and research questions, research design/method, ethical considerations, sampling, data collection, data analysis, confirmability of the findings, interpretation and discussion of findings, additional considerations, and rating the scientific merit of a research report.
622 Y. When the AV node receives the signal, it fires and causes the ventricles to depolarize, this is known as the QRS Complex. The atria also repolarizes during this phase. Specifically in the QRS Complex, during the Q wave, the interventricular septum depolarizes, during the R wave, the main mass of the ventricles depolarizes, and during the S wave, the base of the heart, apex, depolarizes. After the QRS Complex, the S-T segment can be identified as a plateau in myocardial action potentials and is when the ventricles actually contract and pump out blood to the pulmonary and systemic circuits. The final phase of the heartbeat is the T wave and this is when the ventricles repolarize before the relax, ventricular diastole, EKG Video Notes and pg. 671 D. These phases represent the cardiac cycle, which is the time and events that occur from the beginning of one heartbeat to the beginning of the next heartbeat. In this lab, the first EKG that I took was my regular heartbeat during rest. In this recording, I was able to see the P wave, followed by the QRS Complex and the T wave as well. Everything looks pretty normal, but the T wave does go a little lower than normal and I believe this is due to the fact that I was diagnosed with sinus bradycardia
(15)Patel M, Mahaffey K, Garg J, Pan G, Singer D, Hacke W, Breithardt G, Halperin J, Hankey G, Piccini J, Becker R, Nessel C, Paolini J, Berkowitz S, Fox K.. (2011). Rivaroxaban versus warfarin in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation.. New England Journal Of Medicine. 365 (10), 883-91.
In the article “Time to learn: Understanding patient-centered care,” Rinchen Pelzang clarifies not only what patient-centered care means but what it looks like when implemented. These clarifications are necessary because although most healthcare setting advocate patient-centered care, with no clear definition. Pelzang mentions this as one of the most prominent barriers to PCC, the misinterpretation of the concept. In order to combat this barrier proper education and emphasis on communication are needed. When this isn’t the case, “the failure to recognize nurse-patient communication as an essential component of nursing care is the greatest barrier to effective communication” (Pelzang, 2010). Collaborative care and
Ignatavicius, D.D. & Workman, M.L.(2010). Medical-Surgical Nursing: Patient-Centered Collaborative Care. (6th ed.). St. Philadelphia PA: Saunders Elsevier
An electrocardiogram (ECG) is one of the primary assessments concluded on patients who are believed to be suffering from cardiac complications. It involves a series of leads attached to the patient which measure the electrical activity of the heart and can be used to detect abnormalities in the heart function. The ECG is virtually always permanently abnormal after an acute myocardial infarction (Julian, Cowan & Mclenachan, 2005). Julies ECG showed an ST segment elevation which is the earliest indication that a myocardial infarction had in fact taken place. The Resuscitation Council (2006) recommends that clinical staff use a systematic approach when assessing and treating an acutely ill patient. Therefore the ABCDE framework would be used to assess Julie. This stands for airways, breathing, circulation, disability and elimination. On admission to A&E staff introduced themselves to Julie and asked her a series of questions about what had happened to which she responded. As she was able to communicate effectively this indicates that her airways are patent. Julie looked extremely pale and short of breath and frequently complained about a feeling of heaviness which radiated from her chest to her left arm. The nurses sat Julie in an upright in order to assess her breathing. The rate of respiration will vary with age and gender. For a healthy adult, respiratory rate of 12-18 breaths per minute is considered to be normal (Blows, 2001). High rates, and especially increasing rates, are markers of illness and a warning that the patient may suddenly deteriorate. Julie’s respiratory rates were recorded to be 21 breaths per minute and regular which can be described as tachypnoea. Julies chest wall appeared to expand equally and symmetrical on each side with each breath taken. Julies SP02 levels which are an estimation of oxygen
Medical-surgical nursing: patient-centered collaborative care (7th ed.). St. Louis: Elsevier University. Taylor, C. (2011). The 'Standard'. Introduction to Nursing -.
Conclustion: In conclusion, today I have discussed what atrial fibrillation is, what causes it, its common symptoms, and the possible treatments. It is important to have regular checkups to reduce the risk of this condition and establish treatment needs and understand the different treatment alternatives. It is also very important to sustain a heart-healthy lifestyle to diminish overall risks. Thank
The second beat is the semilunar valve opening to allow blood into the aorta or pulmonary trunk. The cardiac cycle is composed of five stages. These stages are atrial systole, early ventricular systole, late ventricular systole, early ventricular diastole, and late ventricular diastole. In order for atrial systole to occur, the blood that has been flowing between the atrium and ventricle via the opened atrioventricular valves must be deposited into the ventricles. The SA node is responsible for the contraction of the atrial myocardium.
The defibrillator monitors the heart and automatically gives electric shocks before Arrhythmia causes permanent damage. If the person does not have a defibrillator a strong electric shock will be given. The cause of Tachycardis is by something not functioning properly in the atria. They are sometimes stimulated by anxiety. Too much caffeine or alcohol and certain drugs can also be the cause.
Collaboration is the foundation to success in any team. In the healthcare setting, interprofessional collaboration (IC) has been a significant trademark among numerous highly successful innovations. Collaboration between nurses and other healthcare providers improves the quality of care, coordination, and communication between the team leading to increased patient safety. Working in a team to achieve common goals implies open communication, respect for others, mutual trust, and honesty. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the meaning of interprofessional collaboration, its implications for practice, describe the role of IC in the provision of patient and family-centered care,
The demands on health care providers to provide the best quality care for patients is increasing. With added responsibilities and demands on our health care workers, it is hard not to become overwhelmed and forget the reason and purpose of our profession. However, there is a way where all professionals can meet and come together for a common cause, which is the patient. A new approach to patient care is coming of age. This approach allows all health care professionals to collaborate and explore the roles of other professions in the hope of creating a successful health care team.
Davenport, Joan M., Stacy Estridge, and Dolores M. Zygmont. Medical-surgical nursing. 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008, 66-88.
The threshold function of the hypothesis test determines whether the incoming beat is considered cardiac activity or noise. The electrical activity at the pacemaker electrode tip is reflected by the intra-cardiac electrogram (EGM). The depolarization and repolarization waves are decomposed into two perpendicular waves: one that propagates horizontally and another that propagates transversally to the myocardial wall. Thus, the morphologies of these two waves differ significantly.