Which rhythm is NOT listed among the brady rhythms?

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

Which rhythm is NOT listed among the brady rhythms?

Bradyarrhythmias are slow heart rhythms caused by failure or delay in the SA node, AV node, or conduction pathways. Typical examples you’d expect to see as slow rhythms include sinus bradycardia, a junctional rhythm, and a first-degree AV block. Sinus bradycardia means the heart rate is below 60 beats per minute with normal P waves before each QRS. A junctional rhythm originates in the AV node or below it; it usually has a rate around 40–60 bpm, and P waves may be hidden or inverted with a narrow QRS. First-degree AV block is characterized by a consistently prolonged PR interval (greater than 200 milliseconds) with a regular rhythm and usually a normal or near-normal rate. Atrial flutter, in contrast, is a tachyarrhythmia. It features rapid atrial activity—about 250–350 atrial beats per minute—with sawtooth flutter waves, and the ventricular rate depends on how many of those rapid atrial impulses are conducted to the ventricles. Because it is a fast rhythm, it is not considered a brady rhythm. So the rhythm not listed among brady rhythms is atrial flutter.

Bradyarrhythmias are slow heart rhythms caused by failure or delay in the SA node, AV node, or conduction pathways. Typical examples you’d expect to see as slow rhythms include sinus bradycardia, a junctional rhythm, and a first-degree AV block.

Sinus bradycardia means the heart rate is below 60 beats per minute with normal P waves before each QRS. A junctional rhythm originates in the AV node or below it; it usually has a rate around 40–60 bpm, and P waves may be hidden or inverted with a narrow QRS. First-degree AV block is characterized by a consistently prolonged PR interval (greater than 200 milliseconds) with a regular rhythm and usually a normal or near-normal rate.

Atrial flutter, in contrast, is a tachyarrhythmia. It features rapid atrial activity—about 250–350 atrial beats per minute—with sawtooth flutter waves, and the ventricular rate depends on how many of those rapid atrial impulses are conducted to the ventricles. Because it is a fast rhythm, it is not considered a brady rhythm.

So the rhythm not listed among brady rhythms is atrial flutter.

More practice questions