Antiarrhythmics Flashcards
what is cardiac arrhythmia
loss of cardiac rhythm
what are the two types of cardiac action potentials
- those characteristic of atrial and ventricular muscle such as purkinje fibers are called fast response action potentials
- those observed in the sinoatrial (SA) node and atrioventricular (AV) node are called slow response action potentials
resting potential in most myocardial cells
80 - 95 mV
how are arrhythmias classified
supraventricular (atrial or AV junctional)
ventricular
what are all arrhythmias a result of
- disturbances in impulse formation
- disturbances in impulse conduction
- or both
what are the different types of arrhythmias
- premature atrial contractions
- premature ventricular contractions (PVCs)
- atrial fibrillation
- atrial flutter
- paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVTs)
- ventricular tachycardia (V-Tach)
- ventricular fibrillation (V-fib)
- sinus node dysfunction
describe premature atrial contraction, premature ventricular contractions, and atrial fibrillation
- premature atrial contraction is an early extra beat that originates in the atria and is harmless
- premature ventricular contraction is most common arrhythmias. it is a skipped beat caused by stress, exercise, nicotine, heart disease and etc and does not require treatment
- atrial fibrillation is irregular heart rhythm causing the atria to contract abnormally
describe atrial flutter, paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia, ventricular tachycardia
- atrial flutter is caused by one or more rapid circuits in the atrium. it is more regular than a-fib
- paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia is a rapid heart rate with regular rhythm originating from above the ventricles
- v-tach is a rapid heart rhythm originating in ventricles and requires treatment immediately
describe v-fib and sinus node dysfunction
- v fib is erratic disorganized firing of impulses from ventricle that prevents it from contracting and pumping out blood to the body and requires immediate response
- sinus node dysfunction is a slow heart rhythm due to abnormal SA node and requires treatment with a pace maker
what is an electrical cardioversion
if drugs not controlling irregular heart rhythm, this is used to deliver electrical shock that synchronizes the heart and allows normal rhythms to restart
why are the class I drugs classified into different subgroup and how does each subgroup differ?
classified based on their rate of drug binding and dissociation from the channel receptor
- class IA: intermediate in speed of binding and dissociation from receptor
- class IB: most rapid for both
- class IC: slowest for both
mechanism of class I drugs
- blocks Na channels –> automaticity (ability to generate action potential) is decreased by shifting threshold to more positive potentials and decreasing slope of phase 4 depolarization
- basically it raises the threshold for action potential and slows the rate of depolarization
what types of cells are not affects by class I drugs
nodal tissues because they do not rely on Na channels for depolarization
what is the class IA drug and what do they do
QUinidine, PROCainamide, DISOPYRAMIDe
the QUeen PROClaims DISO’s PYRAMID
- they are sodium channel blockers thereby inhibiting phase 0 depolarization hence increased action potential duration
- they also block K channels in phase 3 (rectifying K channels) resulting in prolongation of the refractory period (unable to initiate another action potential) in atria and ventricles —-> increased QT interval
- antimuscarinic properties
what is a big difference between the class IA drugs
quinidine and procainamide decrease vascular resistance while disopyramide increases vascular resistance
