Friday, September 27, 2013

EMERGENCIES ALL SHOULD KNOW:ARRHYTHMIAS (ABNORMAL HEART BEAT)

ARRHYTHMIAS:
In arrhythmia,there is abnormal electrical activity in the heart. The heartbeat may be too fast or too slow, and may be regular or irregular. A heart beat that is too fast is called tachycardia and a heart beat that is too slow is called bradycardia. Although many arrhythmias are not life-threatening, some can cause cardiac arrest.
Arrhythmias can occur in the upper chambers of the heart, (atria), or in the lower chambers of the heart, (ventricles) or junctional





The most common symptom of arrhythmia is an abnormal awareness of heartbeat, called palpitations.If an arrhythmia results in a heartbeat that is too fast, too slow or too weak to supply the body's needs, this manifests as a lower blood pressure and may cause light headedness or dizziness, or syncope.
Some types of arrhythmia result in CARDIAC ARREST, or sudden death.
Medical assessment of the abnormality using an ECG is one way to diagnose and assess the risk of any given arrhythmia.A slow rhythm (less than 60 beats/min), is labelled BRADYCARDIA. A heart rate more than 100/min in persons more than 15yrs of age is called TACHYCARDIA.
Congenital heart defects are structural or electrical pathway problems in the heart that are present at birth.There are multiple methods of treatment for these including cardiac ablations, medication treatment, or altering your lifestyle to have less stress and exercise. It is possible to live a full and happy life with these conditions.
When an entire chamber of the heart is involved in a multiple micro-reentry circuits and, therefore, quivering with chaotic electrical impulses, it is said to be in fibrillation.

Fibrillation can affect the atrium (Atrial fibrillation) or the ventricle (ventricular fibrillation). ventricular fibrillation is imminently life-threatening.When a heart goes into V-fib, effective pumping of the blood stops. V-fib is considered a form of cardiac arrest. An individual suffering from it will not survive unless cardio pulmonary resuscitation(CPR) and defibrillation are provided immediately. Defibrillation is performed by applying an electric shock to the heart, which resets the cells, permitting a normal beat to re-establish itself.

There are many classes of antiarrhythmic medications, with different mechanisms of action to treat arrhythmias.
Dysrhythmias may also be treated electrically, by applying a shock across the heart .
Cardioversion is either achieved pharmacologically or via the application of a shock synchronised to the underlying heartbeat. It is used for treatment of supraventricular tachycardias. In elective cardioversion, the recipient is usually sedated or lightly anaesthetised for the procedure.Defibrillation differs in that the shock is not synchronised. It is needed for the chaotic rhythm of ventricular fibrillation and is also used for pulseless ventricular tachycardia. Often, more electricity is required for defibrillation than for cardioversion. In most defibrillation, the recipient has lost consciousness so there is no need for sedation.

In specialised catheter laboratories, they use fine probes inserted through the blood vessels to map electrical activity from within the heart. This allows abnormal areas of conduction to be located very accurately, and subsequently destroyed with heat, cold, electrical or laser probes.
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  • HYPERTENSIVE CRISIS
    HYPOTENSION
    BRONCHOSPASM
    FOREIGN BODY(AIRWAY)
    EPISTAXIS
    HYPOGLYCEMIA
    ACUTE PAIN ABDOMEN
    HAEMETEMESIS
    THROMBOSED,PAINFUL PILES
    ACUTE TUBULAR NECROSIS
    PARAPHIMOSIS
    TESTICULAR TORSION
    TRAUMA
    RENAL COLIC
    PRIAPISM
    ACUTE URINE RETENSION
    SEVERE PALLOR
    ABSCESS
    ANIMAL BITES
    POISONING
    BURNS
    SEIZURES
    PARALYTIC STROKE
    ANY PREGNANCY RELATED EVENT
    SUDDEN LOSS OR IMPAIRMENT OF VISION
    SUDDEN HEAD ACHE AND VOMITING
    HIGH GRADE FEVER
    NON-RESPONSIVENESS
    VIOLENT BEHAVIOUR
    SUDDEN CALF PAIN
    SEVERE BREATHLESSNESS

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