Arrhythmias and Conduction

Match the monitoring duration to the frequency of the symptoms

A memory aid for choosing the right rhythm monitoring device.

Adenosine for supraventricular tachycardia, amiodarone broadly, digoxin for rate control

A memory aid for choosing antiarrhythmic drugs by arrhythmia.

Rate or rhythm, plus stroke prevention, considered separately

A memory aid for rate control, rhythm control and anticoagulation in AF.

Sinoatrial node 60 to 100, atrioventricular junction 40 to 60, ventricle 20 to 40

A memory aid for the intrinsic rates of the cardiac pacemakers.

Atropine first, then the risk factors for asystole

A memory aid for the management of bradycardia and when pacing is needed.

All Points Reach Plateau, Restore

A mnemonic for the five phases of the ventricular cardiac action potential.

Two shockable, two non-shockable, and the four Hs and four Ts

A memory aid for shockable and non-shockable rhythms and the reversible causes.

Sinoatrial node, atrioventricular node, bundle of His, bundle branches, Purkinje fibres

A memory aid for the sequence of the cardiac conducting system.

Absolute refractory period prevents tetany; the relative period allows vulnerable re-excitation

A memory aid for the absolute and relative refractory periods of cardiac muscle.

Congestive failure, Hypertension, Age, Diabetes, Stroke, Vascular, Age, Sex

A mnemonic for assessing stroke risk in atrial fibrillation.

Purkinje fastest, atrioventricular node slowest

A mnemonic for the relative conduction speeds in the heart.

Hypercalcaemia shortens the QT interval; hypocalcaemia prolongs it

A memory aid for the cardiac effects of calcium disturbance.

Hyperkalaemia gives tall T waves and a wide QRS; hypokalaemia gives flat T waves and U waves

A memory aid for the cardiac effects of hyperkalaemia and hypokalaemia.

First degree long PR, second degree some dropped beats, third degree complete dissociation

A memory aid for the degrees of atrioventricular block.

Width tells you where it starts, regularity tells you which one

A memory aid for classifying a tachycardia by QRS width and regularity.

Phase 4 funny current, phase 0 calcium influx, phase 3 potassium efflux

A memory aid for the three phases of the sinoatrial node action potential.

Low potassium, magnesium and calcium, plus many drugs, prolong the QT interval

A memory aid for the causes of QT prolongation.

Two pathways, unidirectional block and slow conduction

A memory aid for the three conditions needed for a re-entrant arrhythmia.

Heart rate rises on inspiration and falls on expiration through varying vagal tone

A memory aid for the mechanism of respiratory sinus arrhythmia.

Vagal manoeuvres, then adenosine, then rate control

A memory aid for the stepwise treatment of a regular narrow complex tachycardia.

Sodium blockers, Beta blockers, Potassium blockers, Calcium blockers

A mnemonic for the classes of antiarrhythmic drug.