Question

The width of the QRS in a patient presenting with tachycardia is 0.10 seconds. There are no clearly discernable P waves. How would you classify this tachycardia?

Answer 1

The tachycardia in this patient can be classified as a narrow complex supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), as there are no clearly discernable P waves and the width of the QRS is within normal range.

Step-by-step explanation:

In this case, the tachycardia can be classified as ventricular tachycardia (VT). Ventricular tachycardia is a rapid heart rhythm that originates in the ventricles instead of the normal electrical pathway. This can be identified by the abnormal shape of the QRS complex on the ECG.

In ventricular tachycardia, the QRS complex is typically wider than 0.12 seconds. Since the width of the QRS in this patient is 0.10 seconds, it falls within the normal range. Therefore, the tachycardia in this patient is not classified as VT, but as a narrow complex tachycardia.

Since there are no clearly discernable P waves, this narrow complex tachycardia can be further classified as supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). Supraventricular tachycardia is a rapid heart rhythm that originates in the atria or the AV node. Examples of SVT include atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter.