ECG BASICS: Sinus Rhythm With Ventricular Bigeminy
Nice, clear example of ventricular bigeminy with an underlying sinus rhythm. We do not know from this strip if the sinus rhythm is a bradycardia at a rate of about 42 per minute, or if the underlying sinus rhythm is actually at a rate of 85 per minute, with every other sinus beat inhibited by the occurance of a PVC. In the first possibility, the ventricular beats would be considered "escape" beats, positively contributing to the patient's heart rate. In the second instance, the rather late-occurring PVCs would cause the heart to be refractory, preventing the sinus P wave from conducting it's impulse to the ventricles. Sometimes, we can see signs of the sinus P wave "hiding" in the PVC, but in this case, if P waves exist, they fall almost exactly in the middle of the ventricular beats' QRS complex, making them invisible. A good strategy would be to watch the strip continuously for some time, hoping to catch the conduction of two sinus beats in a row, solving the dilemma.
