VENTRICULAR FIBRILLATION

Course overview

ARRHYTHMIAS ORIGINATING FROM THE VENTRICULAR MYOCARDIUM OR HIS-PURKINJE SYSTEM ARE GROUPED UNDER VENTRICULAR ARRHYTHMIA (VA). THIS INCLUDES A SUBSET OF ARRHYTHMIAS SUCH AS VENTRICULAR TACHYCARDIA (VT), VENTRICULAR FIBRILLATION (VF), PREMATURE VENTRICULAR CONTRACTIONS (PVC), AND VENTRICULAR FLUTTER. WIDE COMPLEX TACHYCARDIA (WCT) IS USED TO DEFINE ALL TACHYARRHYTHMIA WITH QRS COMPLEX DURATION GREATER THAN 0.12 SECONDS. VF IS A WCT CAUSED BY IRREGULAR ELECTRICAL ACTIVITY AND CHARACTERIZED BY A VENTRICULAR RATE OF USUALLY GREATER THAN 300 WITH DISCRETE QRS COMPLEXES ON THE ELECTROCARDIOGRAM (ECG). THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE CAUSES, PATHOPHYSIOLOGY, AND PRESENTATION OF VF AND HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN ITS MANAGEMENT.