The cardiologist just informed a patient that he has a reentry circuit in the electrical conduction system in his heart. This arrhythmia is called Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome
After the physician has left the room, the patient asks the nurse to explain this to him. Which of the following statements most accurately describes what is happening?
A)
"This means that the SA node (which is the beginning of your heart's electrical system) has been damaged and is no longer functioning normal."
B)
"You must have a large clot in one of your arteries that supply oxygenated blood to the special conduction cells in your heart."
C)
"There is an extra, abnormal electrical pathway in the heart that leads to impulses traveling around the heart very quickly, in a circular pattern, causing the heart to beat too fast."
D)
"For some reason, your electrical system is not on full charge, so they will have to put in new leads and a pacemaker to make it work better."
Ans:
C
Feedback:
There are several forms of reentry. The first is anatomic reentry. It involves an anatomic obstacle around which the circulating current must pass and results in an excitation wave that travels in a set pathway. Arrhythmias that arise as a result of anatomic reentry are paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardias, as seen in WPW syndrome, atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, etc. Answer choice A relates to sinus node arrhythmias and SSS. Answer choice B relates to arrhythmias caused by MI. Answer choice D relates to third-degree block or ventricular standstill, for example.
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