Ep.13 - Don't Miss The QT Interval! - a podcast by David Klein

On this episode Dave talks about how the QT interval is a big deal and how we should be looking at it each time we perform an ECG.

QT Interval - The time from the beginning of the Q wave to the end of the T wave.

Also In This Episode

• Please start looking at the QTc as part of your regular ECG interpretation
• Torsades de Pointes is a specific form of 'Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia' caused by a 'Long QT'. Watch out and prepare!
• QT little 'c' which stands for (corrected). What it is correcting for? It's correcting for 'RATE' and averaging everything to 60 beats per minute. 
• QTc > 0.50 sec = a clinically significant prolonged QT interval and you need to tell somebody about it!!
• Patients at higher risk - Methadone and medications of the Mycin family are notorious for prolonging the QT interval to name just a very few. Brush up on all the other medications that prolong the QT. 
• Take a closer look at the QTc in patients who are elderly and perhaps suffer from chronic renal insufficiency...they are higher risk patients for a prolonged QT. 
• And don't forget...If you encounter a patient in Torsades. Once you fix the rhythm, immediately as yourself...Hmm why did this patient have a prolonged QT interval??? So it doesn't happen again.

 

Subscribe to the video version of this podcast to have access to the visuals that accompany the audio as well as additional tools and resources to help improve your understanding. 

Subscribe now at CurrentECG.com 

And Stay Current!

Further episodes of Current ECG Podcast

Further podcasts by David Klein

Website of David Klein