What best defines asystole on ECG?

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Multiple Choice

What best defines asystole on ECG?

Asystole occurs when the heart has no electrical activity at all. On the ECG this shows up as a completely flat, isoelectric line with no detectable P waves, QRS complexes, or T waves. The other patterns involve some form of electrical activity—ventricular fibrillation is a chaotic, irregular signal; a slow organized rhythm with visible P waves indicates ongoing conduction; and a wide QRS with a pulseless rhythm points to another organized, but abnormal, rhythm. Thus, the truly flat line best defines asystole.

Asystole occurs when the heart has no electrical activity at all. On the ECG this shows up as a completely flat, isoelectric line with no detectable P waves, QRS complexes, or T waves. The other patterns involve some form of electrical activity—ventricular fibrillation is a chaotic, irregular signal; a slow organized rhythm with visible P waves indicates ongoing conduction; and a wide QRS with a pulseless rhythm points to another organized, but abnormal, rhythm. Thus, the truly flat line best defines asystole.

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