Difference between atrial and ventricular rate?

Nurses General Nursing

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does anyone know how to calculate this? okay thanks.

The book was created in 2010.

I am not saying anything about the atrial rate except what the textbook has stated. But here's some sites that support that atrial rate is in atrial flutter is not zero. So I went to google and typed in atrial rate for atrial flutter and these websites appeared.

Medscape: Medscape Access This site states that the atrial rate is 240-400 in atrial flutter.

Atrial Flutter | Doctor | Patient.co.uk

Atrial Fibrillation / Flutter > Heart Rhythms > EquiMed Corporation

Atrial Flutter - Life in the Fast Lane ECG Library

I haven't found any sites that support your question... Let's just say based on these websites and the textbook, the atrial rate is at least over a hundred.

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Specializes in Nurse Scientist-Research.
the rate of atrial contraction is influenced by electrical impulses from numerous foci within the atria (and even outside the atria), not just the SA node.

Agreed! I used to be a cardiac telemetry nurse in a former life but as a NICU nurse one of the most common arrhythmias we see is SVT usually caused by autoimmune processes that weakened, sickened, or destroyed the infant's SA node.

When I worked in telemetry I never got to work with arterial lines and realize how revealing they are to arrhythmia interpretation. I realized this when I got to the NICU and had a few kids with UACs who had a few minor arrhythmias such as PACs or PVCs. It was really revealing to see the way the arterial blood flow (at least as demonstrated by the arterial tracing) was affected.

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.

I didn't suggest you look at more websites. I suggested that you think about your cardiac A&P. Think about the heart actually beating. I was hoping that this would lead you to intuitively understand WHY your calculation which resulted in a fractional number less than 1 beat per minute must be wrong.

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Specializes in Nurse Scientist-Research.
I would agree that in A-fib/flutter the sinus node atrial contraction is probably zero.

If the OP's last posting (quoting all the websites) was directed to me, I want to clarify. In the case of your strips you posted, I believe the patient has an atrial heart rate. I do not believe it is stimulated by the SA node. This is the whole problem with A-flutter is an aberrant site taking over the functions of the SA node. One can have an atrial heart rate stimulated by aberrant foci in the atria and elsewhere.

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Where did you get 1500?

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.

OP, can you help us understand what you're studying?

Looking at your profile ... it appears that you are a pre-nursing student. Studying rhythms, without the background knowledge of anatomy & physiology, is putting the cart way, way before the horse.

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Specializes in Nurse Scientist-Research.
Where did you get 1500?

Rate calculation counting the little boxes between events (be their Ps or QRSs). Can only be used for regular events.

Calculating Heart Rate

Wow, I can't wait till you get to the 2nd degree blocks. I get pretty confused with those. Honestly, I never understood arrhythmias when I was in nursing school. Somehow I made it through, though I believe that speaks poorly of my school.

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The example given for calculating heart beat using small .04 second boxes is incorrect. They should be counted (small boxes within) and divided into 1500.

Example: if you count 21.5 small boxes, 1500/21.5 = 69.77 bpm

In the previous example given, they used 22.5 as small boxes counted, but then 1500/21.5 which is incorrect. If you divide 1500/22.5 the answer is 66.67 bpm.

You must take the amount of small .04 second boxes and divide it into 1500= bpm

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