Question

If you suspect a flutter, what would you see and what would be your atrial HR?

A. Sawtooth pattern, atrial HR around 300 bpm
B. Irregular rhythm, atrial HR around 100 bpm
C. Wide QRS complexes, atrial HR around 150 bpm
D. Absence of P waves, atrial HR around 60 bpm

Answer 1

In case of a suspected atrial flutter, one would see a 'sawtooth' pattern on an ECG, and the atrial heart rate would be around 300 bpm, which corresponds to option A.

Step-by-step explanation:

If you suspect a flutter, you would likely see a characteristic "sawtooth" pattern on an electrocardiogram (ECG), which reflects the rapid atrial contractions that are the hallmark of this arrhythmia. In the case of atrial flutter, the atrial heart rate (HR) is typically around 300 beats per minute (bpm). This is because in atrial flutter, a single electrical impulse repeatedly circulates in a rapid loop within the atria, leading to rapid but regular atrial contractions.

Following the provided options for an atrial flutter, the correct answer would be: A. Sawtooth pattern, atrial HR around 300 bpm. An atrial heart rate around 300 bpm is associated with atrial flutter, whereas an irregular rhythm and atrial HR around 100 bpm may suggest atrial fibrillation, wide QRS complexes are more commonly associated with ventricular tachycardia, and the absence of P waves with an atrial HR around 60 bpm could indicate atrial standstill or complete heart block.