| A | B |
|---|
| asystole | absence of heart contraction; cardiac arrest |
| atrial fibrillation | cardiac rhythm disorder in which several areas in the right atrium initiate disorganized, rapid impulses causing the atria to quiver rather than contract |
| atrial flutter | cardiac rhythm disorder in which a single atrial impulse outside the sinoatrial node causes the atria to contract at an exceedingly rapid rate (200-400 times/min) |
| automatic implanted cardioverter defibrillator | internal electrical device used to restore a life-sustaining cardiac rhythm |
| bigeminy | cardiac rhythm pattern in which every otehr heart beat is a premature ventricular contraction |
| bradydysrhythmia | slow abnormal cardiac rhythm; < 60 beats/min |
| chemical cardioversion | use of drugs to eliminate a dysrhythmia |
| couplets | two premature ventricular contractions in a row |
| defibrillation | emergency procedure that uses electrical energy to stop a life-threatening ventricular dysrhythmia |
| demand (or syncronous) mode pacemaker | pacemaker that self-activates when a client's heart rate falls below a certain level |
| dysrhythmia | conduction disorder that results in an abnormally slow or rapid heart rate or one that does not proceed through the conduction system in the usual manner |
| ectopic pacemaker site | conductive tissue that initiates an electrical impulse independently of the SA node |
| elective electrical cardioversion | nonemergency procedure to stop rapid atrial dysrhythmias in which a machine delivers an electrical stimulation that does not disrupt the heart during ventricular repolarization |
| electrophysiology study | procedure that enables a physician to examine the electrical activity of the heart, produce actual dysrhythmias by stimulating structures within the conduction pathway, determine the best method for preventing furtehr dysrhythmic episodes, and, in some cases, eradicate the precise location in the heart that is producing the dysrhythmia |
| fixed-rate (or asynchronous) mode pacemaker | cardiac device that produces an electrical stimulus at a preset rate (usually 72 to 80 beats/min), despite the client's natural heart rate and rhythm |
| heart block | disorders in the conduction pathway that interfvere with the transmission of impulses from the sinoatrial node through the atyrioventricular node to the ventricles |
| Maze procedure | surgical procedure to treat atrial fibrillation in which a new conduction pathway is created that eliminates the rapid firing of ectopic pacemaker sites in the atria |
| multifocal PVCs | pattern of premature ventricular contractions originating from more than one ectopic location |
| pacemaker | device that provides an electrical stimulus to the heart muscle to treat an abnormally slow cardiac rhythm |
| premature atrial contraction | early electrical impulse initiated by neural tissue in the atria |
| premature ventricular contraction | ventricular contraction that occurs early and independently in the cardiac cycle before the sinoatrial node initiates an electrical impulse |
| radiofrequency catheter ablation | procedure in which a heated catheter tip destroys dysrhythmia-producing tissue |
| R-on-T phenomenon | premature ventricular contraction whose R wave falls on the T wave of the preceding complex |
| sinus bradycardia | dysrhythmia that proceeds normally through the conduction pathway but at a slower than usual rate (<60 beats/min) |
| sinus tachycardia | dysrhythmia that proceeds normally through the conduction pathway but at a faster than usual rate (100-150 beats/min) |
| supraventricular tachycardia | atrial dysrhythmia in which the heart rate is dangerously high (>150 beats/min) |
| tachydysrhythmias | abnormally fast cardiac dysrhythmias |
| transcutaneous pacemaker | external pacemaker used as a temporary, emergency measure for maintaining adequate heart rate |
| transvenous pacemaker | temporary pulse-generating device that is used to manage transient bradydysrhythmias such as those that occur during acute MIs or after coronary artery bypass graft surgery, or to override tachydysrhythmias |
| ventricular fibrillation | cardiac dysrhythmia in which the ventricles do not contract effectively and there is no cardiac output |
| ventricular tachycardia | dysrhythmia in which a single, irritable focus in the ventricle causes the ventricles to beat very fast and cardiac output is decreased |
