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Concept
Atrial tachycardia
Summary
Atrial tachycardia is a type of heart rhythm problem in which the heart's electrical impulse comes from an ectopic pacemaker (that is, an abnormally located cardiac pacemaker) in the upper chambers (atria) of the heart, rather than from the sinoatrial node, the normal origin of the heart's electrical activity.
As with any other form of tachycardia (rapid heart beat), the underlying mechanism can be either the rapid discharge of an abnormal focus, the presence of a ring of cardiac tissue that gives rise to a circle movement (reentry), or a triggered rapid rhythm due to other pathological circumstances (as would be the case with some drug toxicities, such as digoxin toxicity).
Forms of atrial tachycardia (ATach) include multifocal atrial tachycardia (MAT), focal atrial tachycardia and atrial flutter. Paroxysmal atrial tachycardia (PAT) is an episode of arrhythmia that begins and ends abruptly.
Atrial tachycardia tends to occur in individuals with structural heart disease, with or without heart failure, and ischemic coronary artery disease. However, focal atrial tachycardia often occurs in healthy individuals without structural heart disease. Other possible etiologies are listed below:
Hypoxia
Pulmonary disease
Ischemic heart disease
Stimulants: cocaine, caffeine, chocolate, ephedra
Alcohol
Metabolic disturbances
Digoxin toxicity
Heightened sympathetic tone
A study noted 10 to 15% of patients presenting for supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) ablation had atrial tachycardia.
Electrocardiographic features include:
Atrial rate: 100 to 250 BPM
Ventricular conduction can be variable
Irregular or irregularly irregular in the setting of variable AV block
Regular if 1 to 1, 2 to 1, or 4 to 1 AV block
P wave morphology
Unifocal, but similar in morphology to each other
Might be inverted
Differs from normal sinus P wave
May exhibit either long RP or short PR intervals
Rhythm may be paroxysmal or sustained
May demonstrate an increase in the rate at initiation (e.g., "warm up," or "rev up")
May demonstrate a decrease in the rate at termination (e.
Official source
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