Difference between atrial and ventricular rate?

Atrial rate = number of P waves in one minute (or # p waves x 10 in a six second strip)

Ventricular rate = number of QRS complexes in one minute (or # QRS x 10 in a six second strip).

Is this what you were looking for?

yes thanks.

yes but what if it's regular or irregular?

(Quote)yes but what if it's regular or irregular? (/Quote)

You are always better off doing a 60 second strip just for that reason.

you only get the rate if it's irregular...

how about when it's regular? 300 divided by the number of Ps or QRSs?

I'm not sure what you mean by "you only get the rate if its irregular". That doesn't make sense. If you're looking for the overall heart rate it is the number of QRS complexes in a 60 second strip/#QRS x 10 in a six second strip (only with regular rhythms). Without a QRS - essentially there is no heart beat. So if this doesn't answer your question, try to rephrase it because I'm not sure what information you're looking for.

Regular...the length from the R to R is equal.

Irregular...the length from the R to R is not equal.

Whether the rhythm is regular or irregular should not affect counting the heart rate. You still count the P's for an atrial rate, and the QRS for a ventricular rate, regardless. If you are still confused I would try to find an EKG workbook with a solutions manual so you can practice (or seek out 1:1 help with a TA, professor, or another student).

Regular...the length from the R to R is equal.

Irregular...the length from the R to R is not equal.

Perhaps OP is referring to the the square counting method, which can only be used for regular heart rates. Find the QRS, and count the number of thick lines in between them until you get to the next QRS, using the sequence 300, 150, 100, 75, 60, 50, 43, 37. You can also divide 1500 by the number of small boxes between R waves.

Keep in mind that there should be 1 P wave for every QRS, therefore in a normal sinus rhythm the atrial rate is equivalent to the ventricular rate.

OP, it may be helpful for you to know that EKG paper runs through the machine at a constant rate, and this is the same everywhere by convention. That rate is 300 big boxes per minute, or 1500 little boxes per minute (there are five little ones in every big one).

Knowing that, you can see that if you had something (like a QRS) in every big box, your heart rate would be 300/minute (whew! ok if you're a pygmy shrew, but not so hot for humans).

If you had a QRS in every other box, that would be ... 150/minute (300/2)

Every third box, 100/minute (300/3)

Every fourth box, 75/minute (300/4)

Every 5th box, 60/minute (300/5)

And so on....

Okay yeah the rhythm doesn't affect the heart rate. That's not my question. My question is how do I find the ventricular rate and how do I find the atrial rate?

I mean, I will just know how to find if it's regular or not. But..I never learned how to find the ventricular or the atrial rate.

For instance, let's say the rhythm is a normal sinus rhythm.

I would figure out if it's regular or irregular. Right?

Okay, it's regular. The heart rate has to be within range. 60-100. Is this the atrial rate? Or the ventricular rate? I have no idea because I was only taught to find the rate.

There's a P wave. I was never taught to count them. But let's just say I tried to figure it out on my own and used the method you have stated (if someone asks I'll just say I looked it up online...but technically it's not in the book) and said there's 10 P waves in the rhythm. So the atrial rate would be...10X10=100? which makes sense because it's still within the normal heart rate. So there would be 10 QRSs...so that'd be 10x10=100. So the ventricular rate is 100. So it's 100 and they're equal because it's a normal sinus rhythm.

Atrial rate=100

Ventricular rate=100

Is that correct?

Sinus Bradycardia

Then I would try to figure out if it's regular or irregular.

It's regular.

So the heart rate would be less than 60. But is this the atrial rate? Or the ventricular rate?

5x10=50..So the atrial rate is 50. Then the ventricular rate would be 5X10=50.

Atrial rate=50

Ventricular rate=50

Makes sense it's all below 60Bpm which is bradycardia.

Sinus Tachycardia

Regular

12x10=120=Atrial rate=120

12x10=120=Ventricular rate=120

Makes sense since if it's over 100 it's tachycardia.

Okay I'm guessing the atrial rate is also similiar to the ventricular rate when it's in bradycardia and tachycardia? Not just when it's a normal sinus rhythm.

Sinus Arrhythmia

Irregular..it's the only one that's irregular here..

7x10=70 Atrial rate =70

Ventricular rate =7x10=70

It's within range 60-100.

Right?