Mental overload with cardiac class!

Nurses General Nursing

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First let me say this...I am NOT asking questions for any homework assignment or anything of that nature at all.

With that being said..I am really struggling with cardiac rhythms (especially) and interventions. I PRIDE myself on being the kind of person who asks to understand and doesn't strive to make mistakes with some silly confidence that I know everything...I don't and don't pretend to. I am truly terrified of not knowing this information when it counts and letting a patient down.

It is just soooo overwhelming!

Does anyone have any good resources that explains cardiac care in simple terms ( as simple as cardiac care can be I guess..haha) Or any kind of sayings or things that work for you to recognize when things are going bad. Our book is like reading Arabic and who better to ask about nursing then my good ole nursing friends on here!

AND PLEASE constructive criticism if you have any at all. Yes I realize I am a senior nursing student and I do know somethings and interventions, have been in codes and have wonderful clinic experience and it seems to all come together in the moment...BUT testing is not done in the moment. I could probably bs and get thru a test BUT I WANT to learn it and be a good, SAFE nurse.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, ER.

http://www.skillstat.com

http://www.icufaqs.org

these have little games and quizzes you can do, and provide simple explanations of things.

http://www.onlineaha.org

go to the courses and select the basic dysrhythmia course...it's $30 but so worth it. really broke it down in simple language and i felt like i understood basic dysrhythmias at the end of it.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, ER.

Is there anything specific you're having trouble with that I might be able to try and break down?

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Specializes in ER/ICU/STICU.

I second icufaq, great resource that breaks it down Barney style.

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I have to take an ECG interpretation/cardiac intervention competency exam every year where I work(if we dont pass, we dont have a job so I study hard every year.) and I have found that the book ECG's made Incredibly Easy is a helpful resource and also skillstat.com. Its alot to take in the first time you take a class on this subject, but it will get easier. Good luck and happy learning:)

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Specializes in ER.

the above link, to icufaqs.com may not be the one you want,

but this one, http://www.icufaqs.org/ is likely the one NeoPediRN meant

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Specializes in Pediatrics, ER.
the above link, to icufaqs.com may not be the one you want,

but this one, http://www.icufaqs.org/ is likely the one NeoPediRN meant

Oops, thanks! I corrected the link.

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Is there anything specific you're having trouble with that I might be able to try and break down?

Its the rhythms, my teacher said to be able to recognize the ones that could be fatal and need intervention immediately. Like V-tach, V-fib, PSVT, SVT.

I usually like to utilize ed4nurses on youtube bc he dumbs it down enough that makes sense to me, BUT he had an example of a disrhythmia and said "well this one is sinus something" well...the QRS complex was inverted? so isn't that bad? So here I was thinking this was something totally different. BUT he said the issue with that strip was that it changed with inspiration and expiration and could be normal for some people. I get the inspiration/expiration part but I'm still stuck with the QRS on the bottom of the rhythm and not where it should be.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, ER.

It also depends what lead you're looking at and the placement of the electrodes.

Can you post a pic of that complex?

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It also depends what lead you're looking at and the placement of the electrodes.

Can you post a pic of that complex?

Idk if this will work b/c idk how to take a copy of that exact picture. so here is the link its at the 3:17 mark

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IA6tHGD0lUA&feature=player_detailpage#t=0s

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And when talking about leads...I don't necessarily understand the 2nd lead thing...geez this really makes me sound stupid but idc the important thing is I need to learn it even at the cost of my pride :)

So the second lead is important because of the placement bc its showing a specific part of the heart? What makes that lead more important? :uhoh3:

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Specializes in Pediatrics, ER.

Looks like it's in a different lead is all. It's sinus arrhythmia because the points of the complex (R wave) aren't equal. You can see a little longer repolarization (resting) period from the T wave of one complex to the R wave of the next, and vice versa, but the complexes in of themselves are normal.

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