THEME ACUTE CARE Jaycen Cruickshank MBBS, FACEM, is Director of Emergency Medicine, Ballarat Health Services, and Lecturer, Rural Clinical School, School of Rural Health, University of Melbourne, Victoria.
[email protected] Initial management of cardiac arrhythmias Diagnosis of arrhythmias can be a challenge, in particular Background if a patient has no symptoms and a normal electrocardiogram Diagnosis of acute arrhythmias requires recognition and (ECG) between symptomatic episodes. Ideally, the patient interpretation of important electrocardiogram (ECG) findings, and should be managed in an area with access to ECG monitoring, knowledge of Australian resuscitation guidelines. oxygen and an external defibrillator. Acute arrhythmias may Objective require urgent intervention including resuscitation. All clinical This article aims to provide a guide for general practitioners in staff should be trained in basic life support (BLS) and managing patients who present with acute arrhythmias in the advanced life support (ALS) (see Resource). rural or regional setting. Discussion Assessment of the patient with an abnormal rhythm Rural GPs need to be familiar with acute management of History bradycardias, supraventricular tachycardia, atrial fibrillation Cardiac arrhythmia is an important differential diagnosis in any and ventricular tachyarrhythmias, despite the fact that they patient with palpitations, syncope, near syncope or chest pain. may deal with these problems infrequently. A good local or Palpitations are a sensitive but not particularly specific symptom of regional network will help determine which patients can be arrhythmias. They are usually of benign origin. An association with treated locally, versus the need to refer to a hospital emergency 1 department or outpatient setting. This might include a colleague syncope, near syncope or dizziness, is more worrying.