Sinus tachycardiaSinus tachycardia is a sinus rhythm with an increased rate of electrical discharge from the sinoatrial node, resulting in a tachycardia, a heart rate that is higher than the upper limit of normal (90-100 beats per minute for adult humans). The normal resting heart rate is 60–90 bpm in an average adult. Normal heart rates vary with age and level of fitness, from infants having faster heart rates (110-150 bpm) and the elderly having slower heart rates.
Ventricle (heart)A ventricle is one of two large chambers toward the bottom of the heart that collect and expel blood towards the peripheral beds within the body and lungs. The blood pumped by a ventricle is supplied by an atrium, an adjacent chamber in the upper heart that is smaller than a ventricle. Interventricular means between the ventricles (for example the interventricular septum), while intraventricular means within one ventricle (for example an intraventricular block).
Cardiac magnetic resonance imagingCardiac magnetic resonance imaging (cardiac MRI, CMR), also known as cardiovascular MRI, is a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology used for non-invasive assessment of the function and structure of the cardiovascular system. Conditions in which it is performed include congenital heart disease, cardiomyopathies and valvular heart disease, diseases of the aorta such as dissection, aneurysm and coarctation, coronary heart disease. It can also be used to look at pulmonary veins. Patient information may be found here.
Premature junctional contractionPremature junctional contractions (PJCs), also called atrioventricular junctional premature complexes or junctional extrasystole, are premature cardiac electrical impulses originating from the atrioventricular node of the heart or "junction". This area is not the normal but only a secondary source of cardiac electrical impulse formation. These premature beats can be found occasionally in healthy people and more commonly in some pathologic conditions, typically in the case of drug cardiotoxicity, electrolyte imbalance, mitral valve surgery, and cold water immersion.
Purkinje fibersThe Purkinje fibers (pɜːrˈkɪndʒi ; ˈpurkɪɲɛ; Purkinje tissue or subendocardial branches) are located in the inner ventricular walls of the heart, just beneath the endocardium in a space called the subendocardium. The Purkinje fibers are specialized conducting fibers composed of electrically excitable cells. They are larger than cardiomyocytes with fewer myofibrils and many mitochondria. They conduct cardiac action potentials more quickly and efficiently than any of the other cells in the heart's electrical conduction system.
Benign early repolarizationBenign early repolarization also known as early repolarization (abbr.: BER) is found on ECG in about 1% of those with chest pain. It is diagnosed based on an elevated J-point / ST elevation with an end-QRS notch or end-QRS slur and where the ST segment concave up. It is believed to be a normal variant. Benign early repolarization that occurs as some patterns is associated with ventricular fibrillation. The association, revealed by research performed in the late 2000s, is very small.
Atrial tachycardiaAtrial tachycardia is a type of heart rhythm problem in which the heart's electrical impulse comes from an ectopic pacemaker (that is, an abnormally located cardiac pacemaker) in the upper chambers (atria) of the heart, rather than from the sinoatrial node, the normal origin of the heart's electrical activity. As with any other form of tachycardia (rapid heart beat), the underlying mechanism can be either the rapid discharge of an abnormal focus, the presence of a ring of cardiac tissue that gives rise to a circle movement (reentry), or a triggered rapid rhythm due to other pathological circumstances (as would be the case with some drug toxicities, such as digoxin toxicity).
Torsades de pointesTorsades de pointes, torsade de pointes or torsades des pointes (TdP) (tɔːˌsɑːd_də_ˈpwãt, tɔʁsad də pwɛ̃t̪, translated as "twisting of peaks") is a specific type of abnormal heart rhythm that can lead to sudden cardiac death. It is a polymorphic ventricular tachycardia that exhibits distinct characteristics on the electrocardiogram (ECG). It was described by French physician François Dessertenne in 1966. Prolongation of the QT interval can increase a person's risk of developing this abnormal heart rhythm, occurring in between 1% and 10% of patients who receive QT-prolonging antiarrhythmic drugs.
Junctional ectopic tachycardiaJunctional ectopic tachycardia (JET) is a rare syndrome of the heart that manifests in patients recovering from heart surgery. It is characterized by cardiac arrhythmia, or irregular beating of the heart, caused by abnormal conduction from or through the atrioventricular node (AV node). In newborns and infants up to 6 weeks old, the disease may also be referred to as His bundle tachycardia or congenital JET.
CardioversionCardioversion is a medical procedure by which an abnormally fast heart rate (tachycardia) or other cardiac arrhythmia is converted to a normal rhythm using electricity or drugs. Synchronized electrical cardioversion uses a therapeutic dose of electric current to the heart at a specific moment in the cardiac cycle, restoring the activity of the electrical conduction system of the heart.
Inappropriate sinus tachycardiaInappropriate sinus tachycardia (IST) is a type of cardiac arrhythmia. Inappropriate sinus tachycardia is caused by electrical signals in the body speeding up the heart, rather than a physical deformity of the heart. This may be caused by a disturbance and/or failure of the autonomic nervous system. Research into the mechanism and etiology (cause) of inappropriate sinus tachycardia is ongoing. While sinus tachycardia is very common and is the most common type of tachycardia, it is rare to be diagnosed with Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia as an independent symptom that is not part of a larger condition.
Sinoatrial nodeThe sinoatrial node (also known as the sinuatrial node, SA node or sinus node) is an oval shaped region of special cardiac muscle in the upper back wall of the right atrium made up of cells known as pacemaker cells. The sinus node is approximately 15 mm long, 3 mm wide, and 1 mm thick, located directly below and to the side of the superior vena cava. These cells can produce an electrical impulse known as a cardiac action potential that travels through the electrical conduction system of the heart, causing it to contract.
