The delta wave is most specific for what electrocardiographic finding?

Prepare for the Cleveland Clinic EKG Test with flashcards and multiple choice questions. Gain insights with hints and explanations. Ace your exam today!

Multiple Choice

The delta wave is most specific for what electrocardiographic finding?

Delta wave indicates pre-excitation of the ventricles due to an accessory pathway bypassing the AV node, as in Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. The impulse reaches the ventricles early through this abnormal pathway, causing a slurred initial upstroke of the QRS—the delta wave—and a shortened PR interval. This specific pattern points to pre-excitation via an accessory pathway more than anything else. Atrial fibrillation would show an irregular rhythm with absent discrete P waves, left ventricular hypertrophy produces high-voltage QRS complexes with repolarization changes, and hyperkalemia alters T waves and QRS morphology without producing a delta wave.

Delta wave indicates pre-excitation of the ventricles due to an accessory pathway bypassing the AV node, as in Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. The impulse reaches the ventricles early through this abnormal pathway, causing a slurred initial upstroke of the QRS—the delta wave—and a shortened PR interval. This specific pattern points to pre-excitation via an accessory pathway more than anything else. Atrial fibrillation would show an irregular rhythm with absent discrete P waves, left ventricular hypertrophy produces high-voltage QRS complexes with repolarization changes, and hyperkalemia alters T waves and QRS morphology without producing a delta wave.

More practice questions