The Bad Boy of the Lab...

One of the most intense events in the EP lab happens when a ventricular arrhythmia is induced. Everything we have been taught as medical professionals tells us that this is an emergency situation and immediate action is required. Yet in the EP lab, the action needed after a ventricular arrhythmia occurs depends upon the type of rhythm that happens and how the patient responds to it. Retraining your thought process during this moment of crisis is a difficult challenge for many staff who are new to the EP lab. This is, however, exactly what we must do in the world of EP.

This section is designed to demonstrate the differences in the various forms of VT and provide a roadmap to guide you through the actions necessary to deal with each one. As you review this section, always remember the primary rule when responding to a monitored signal recorded from a patient; TREAT THE PATIENT, NOT THE MONITOR!! Simply put, the patient's condition should be the primary factor in determining what type of treatment to apply.

The causes of ventricular tachycardias are varied and complex. I considered going into some of the sources of these arrhythmias, but I found that I would have had to place an almost endless series of pages with appropriate credits and notations. This was not what I had intended for this web page, so I will try to stick with how to deal with ventricualr arrhythmias when they occur within the context of an EP study. I do encourage you to research this subject when you have time. There is a great deal of fascinating information available in print. That being said, let us continue...