Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Ventricular Flutter
Introduction
Overview
Overview
Ventricular flutter is an arrythmia affecting the ventricles that can occur in infancy[1], youth,[2] or as an adult.
Ventricular flutter is mostly caused by re-entry with a frequency of 300 bpm. The ECG shows a typical sinusoidal pattern. During ventricular flutter the ventricles depolarize in a circular pattern, which prevents good function. Most often this results in a minimal cardiac output and subsequent ischemia. Often deteriorates into Ventricular Fibrillation.
It can be induced by programmed electrical stimulation.[3][4]
Diagnosis
Diagnosis
EKG
Shown below is an EKG with a ventricular flutter.
Copyleft image obtained courtesy of ECGpedia, http://en.ecgpedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
Shown below is an EKG with a ventricular flutter.
Copyleft image obtained courtesy of ECGpedia, http://en.ecgpedia.org/wiki/File:Ventricular_flutter_12lead.jpg
Shown below is an EKG with a ventricular flutter.
Copyleft image obtained courtesy of ECGpedia, http://en.ecgpedia.org/wiki/File:Rhythm_flutter.png
References
References
- ↑ Thies KC, Boos K, Müller-Deile K, Ohrdorf W, Beushausen T, Townsend P (2000). “Ventricular flutter in a neonate–severe electrolyte imbalance caused by urinary tract infection in the presence of urinary tract malformation”. J Emerg Med. 18 (1): 47–50. PMID 10645837. Unknown parameter
|month=ignored (help) - ↑ Hayashi M, Murata M, Satoh M; et al. (1985). “Sudden nocturnal death in young males from ventricular flutter”. Jpn Heart J. 26 (4): 585–91. PMID 4057556. Unknown parameter
|month=ignored (help) - ↑ Gurevitz O, Viskin S, Glikson M; et al. (2004). “Long-term prognosis of inducible ventricular flutter: not an innocent finding”. Am. Heart J. 147 (4): 649–54. doi:10.1016/j.ahj.2003.11.012. PMID 15077080. Unknown parameter
|month=ignored (help) - ↑ Viskin S, Ish-Shalom M, Koifman E; et al. (2003). “Ventricular flutter induced during electrophysiologic studies in patients with old myocardial infarction: clinical and electrophysiologic predictors, and prognostic significance”. J. Cardiovasc. Electrophysiol. 14 (9): 913–9. PMID 12950532. Unknown parameter
|month=ignored (help)
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]