ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on acute rather than chronic problems. Some dysrhythmias are immediately life-threatening; others may compromise cardiac function by reducing stroke volume and increasing tachycardia and myocardial hypoxia. Intensive care unit nurses seldom see the range of dysrhythmias encountered in coronary care units; Electrocardiography (ECG) monitoring is standard, so nurses should be able to: identify dysrhythmias, identify likely causes from patients' histories, and know usual management and treatment for commonly occurring dysrhythmias. There are therefore three key stages in normal cardiac conduction and the ECG: atrial, atrioventricular node, and ventricular. Sinus arrhythmia occurs in a few young, usually athletic, people. The etymologically more accurate "dysrhythmia", rather than the more commonly used "arrhythmia", is used as, except for asystole, rhythms are problematic rather than absent. New dysrhythmias may be caused by drugs, so drug charts should be reviewed – pharmacists are a useful source for advice about side effects.
