An approach to the patient with a suspected tachycardia in the emergency department.
Patients present to the emergency department with either an ongoing tachycardia or a history suspicious of a tachycardia. Either way, the tachycardia needs to be documented, preferably on a 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) for diagnosis and management. If a tachycardiais not documented, a careful history of the palpitations should be taken to see if further monitoring and investigations are required. If a tachycardia is confirmed on an ECG, the clinician needs to classify it according to two variables: (i) regularity of the rhythm; and (ii) QRS width. This will allow a differential diagnosis to be made.
A
A
Chin
B
B
Vezi
M
M
Namane
H
H
Weich
R
R
Scott-Millar
D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D019468:Disease Management; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000379:methods; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D006801:Humans; D013610:Tachycardia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy