Reference no: EM133858962

Question

Albert, an apartment superintendent, grabbed a quick cup of coffee and then put on his coat to shovel snow off the front sidewalk. He is 56 years old and has experienced two episodes of angina over the past 3 years. This time when he was shoveling the snow, he felt palpitations in his chest. It was as though his heart had stopped and then began to beat rapidly as if to catch up. Afraid of what he was feeling, he went inside and called for an ambulance. When the paramedics arrived, they took an ECG and told Albert he was going to be fine. The ECG taken by the paramedic showed Albert was experiencing premature ventricular contractions. In general terms, how do PVCs appear on an ECG? Differentiate between the cause of unifocal and multifocal PVCs. What factors contributed to the onset of PVCs in Albert's situation? Describe the physiologic events during a PVC. How is cardiac output disrupted with the presence of PVCs? PVCs are associated with Ventricular tachycardia. What is the correlation between PVCs and ventricular tachycardia? Compare and contrast ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation. How are they managed? Why are they particularly dangerous?