文摘
The diagnosis and treatment of acute arrhythmia in emergency medicine requires rapid response strategies. Besides the cardiac history of the patient and a thorough physical examination, the documentation of a 12-lead electrocardiogram is essential. It is helpful to distinguish between narrow versus wide complex tachycardia and regular versus irregular arrhythmia. Besides electrical therapy (cardioversion and defibrillation) pharmacological treatment is most important for the specific treatment of these patients with a life-threatening condition. For safe and effective treatment of arrhythmia the use of less effective drugs can be dispensed with in emergency services. This review is based on the recommendations of the European Society of Cardiology, the European Resuscitation Council, the American guidelines (American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association) and a selective literature review.KeywordsArrhythmias, cardiacAntiarrhythmic therapyElectrocardiographyCritical carePregnancy