Your patient is experiencing chest pain and has a heart rate of 132 beats per minute. You attach the ECG monitor to see a fast, regular rhythm with a tall upright P wave that precedes each QRS complex. The QRS complexes are 0.10 seconds in duration. This patient is experiencing:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The description of a fast, regular rhythm with a tall upright P wave preceding each QRS complex, and a QRS duration of 0.10 seconds, is characteristic of sinus tachycardia. Sinus tachycardia is defined by a heart rate greater than 100 beats per minute, originating from the sinoatrial (SA) node, which is the normal pacemaker of the heart.

Your Patient Is Experiencing Chest Pain and Has a Heart