Ventricular Fibrillation in Emergency Medicine Workup

  • Author: Keith A Marill, MD; Chief Editor: David FM Brown, MD   more...
 
Updated: Jun 23, 2011
 

Laboratory Studies

  • Serum electrolyte levels, including calcium and magnesium
  • Cardiac enzymes to identify myocardial injury
  • Complete blood count (CBC) to detect contributing anemia
  • Arterial blood gases (ABGs) to assess degree of acidosis or hypoxemia
  • Toxicologic screens and levels as clinically indicated
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Imaging Studies

  • Chest radiography may identify aspiration pneumonia, pulmonary edema, cardiomegaly, and injury (eg, secondary to cardiopulmonary resuscitation [CPR]).
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Other Tests

  • Electrocardiography (ECG) to help identify ischemic or proarrhythmic conditions
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Proceed to Treatment & Management
 
 
Contributor Information and Disclosures
Author

Keith A Marill, MD  Faculty, Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital; Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School

Keith A Marill, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Emergency Medicine and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Medtronic Ownership interest None; Cambridge Heart, Inc. Ownership interest None; General Electric Ownership interest None

Coauthor(s)

A Antoine Kazzi  MD, Deputy Chief of Staff, American University of Beirut Medical Center; Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, American University of Beirut, Lebanon

A Antoine Kazzi is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Mazen K Khalil, MD  Post Doctoral Research Fellow, Department of Cell Biology, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation

Mazen K Khalil, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Physicians

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Aaron A Bright, MD  Assistant Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, LAC+USC Medical Center, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California

Aaron A Bright, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians and Los Angeles County Medical Association

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Specialty Editor Board

Steven A Conrad, MD, PhD  Chief, Department of Emergency Medicine; Chief, Multidisciplinary Critical Care Service, Professor, Department of Emergency and Internal Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center

Steven A Conrad, MD, PhD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Chest Physicians, American College of Critical Care Medicine, American College of Emergency Physicians, American College of Physicians, International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation, Louisiana State Medical Society, Shock Society, Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, and Society of Critical Care Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD  Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy; Editor-in-Chief, Medscape Drug Reference

Disclosure: Medscape Salary Employment

Gary Setnik, MD  Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine, Mount Auburn Hospital; Assistant Professor, Division of Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School

Gary Setnik, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians, National Association of EMS Physicians, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: SironaHealth Salary Management position; South Middlesex EMS Consortium Salary Management position; ProceduresConsult.com Royalty Other

John D Halamka, MD, MS  Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Chief Information Officer, CareGroup Healthcare System and Harvard Medical School; Attending Physician, Division of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

John D Halamka, MD, MS is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians, American Medical Informatics Association, Phi Beta Kappa, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

David FM Brown, MD  Associate Professor, Division of Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Vice Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital

David FM Brown, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

References

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Ventricular fibrillation. Rapidly recurrent despite electrical biphasic defibrillation. Notice that recurrence begins after completion of the T wave and is not due to an R-on-T phenomenon in this case. This episode of ventricular fibrillation (VF) occurred in the emergency department and was present for less than 30 seconds prior to defibrillation, hence the course morphology. Also an undulating amplitude suggestive of torsades de pointes was present; however, the QT interval during sinus rhythm was normal, and the only known predisposing factors for tachydysrhythmia were newly diagnosed coronary artery disease with acute right coronary artery occlusion and a history of rheumatoid pericarditis.
 
 
 
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