Which type of cardiac arrhythmia is responsible for cardiac arrest?

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Multiple Choice

Which type of cardiac arrhythmia is responsible for cardiac arrest?

When the ventricles beat in a disorganized, rapid fashion, they fail to contract in a coordinated way, so the heart cannot effectively pump blood. This chaotic ventricular activity is known as ventricular fibrillation, and it is the main rhythm associated with cardiac arrest because there is no usable output to sustain circulation. On an electrocardiogram, ventricular fibrillation shows a jagged, irregular baseline with no identifiable P waves or distinct QRS complexes, reflecting the lack of organized ventricular depolarization. Other rhythms described—like a rapid but organized atrial flutter, a fast but orderly sinus tachycardia, or a junctional rhythm arising from the AV node—still allow some coordinated ventricular activity and maintain blood flow, at least temporarily. They do not typically cause immediate, complete loss of consciousness and pulse the way ventricular fibrillation does, which is why ventricular fibrillation is the rhythm most closely linked to cardiac arrest and requires urgent defibrillation and CPR.

When the ventricles beat in a disorganized, rapid fashion, they fail to contract in a coordinated way, so the heart cannot effectively pump blood. This chaotic ventricular activity is known as ventricular fibrillation, and it is the main rhythm associated with cardiac arrest because there is no usable output to sustain circulation. On an electrocardiogram, ventricular fibrillation shows a jagged, irregular baseline with no identifiable P waves or distinct QRS complexes, reflecting the lack of organized ventricular depolarization.

Other rhythms described—like a rapid but organized atrial flutter, a fast but orderly sinus tachycardia, or a junctional rhythm arising from the AV node—still allow some coordinated ventricular activity and maintain blood flow, at least temporarily. They do not typically cause immediate, complete loss of consciousness and pulse the way ventricular fibrillation does, which is why ventricular fibrillation is the rhythm most closely linked to cardiac arrest and requires urgent defibrillation and CPR.

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