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Ventricular Tachycardia

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The ECG

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Abstract

Ventricular tachycardia (VT) is generally a severe arrhythmia that often impairs heart function considerably and may be a precursor of ventricular fibrillation. We distinguish the impact of VT on haemodynamics and on prognosis.

The haemodynamic response to VT depends on the preexisting left (or right) ventricular ejection fraction and the rate and duration of tachycardia. The worse the ventricular function and the faster the rate, the worse the ventricular filling and output are. A VT of long duration (minutes to hours or even days) generally leads to a further haemodynamic deterioration.

The prognosis of VT is determined by the type and severity of the underlying cardiac disease.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cardiology, Swiss Cardiovascular Center Bern, University Clinic Inselspital, CH-3010, Bern, Switzerland

    Professor Dr. Marc Gertsch

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  1. Professor Dr. Marc Gertsch
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© 2004 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Gertsch, M. (2004). Ventricular Tachycardia. In: The ECG. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-10315-9_27

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-10315-9_27

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-05656-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-662-10315-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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