Management of the patient who has been resuscitated from sudden cardiac death

Wide-complex tachycardia: beyond the traditional differential diagnosis of ventricular tachycardia vs supraventricular tachycardia with aberrant conduction

Wide-complex tachycardia (WCT) is defined as a rhythm disturbance with a rate greater than 100 beats/min and a QRS complex duration of 0.12 seconds or more in the adult patient; in the pediatric patient, both rate and QRS complex width are age related. In evaluating this type of tachycardia, there are 2 broad categories usually discussed in the medical literature: ventricular and supraventricular with aberrant intraventricular conduction. There are several other important causes of a WCT encountered in clinical practice, which are less often discussed; these tachycardias often require specific therapies differing from the standard approach to WCT. These tachycardias are diverse; as such, the pathophysiology behind each form of WCT includes toxic, metabolic, and conduction system dysfunction mechanisms.

Surviving sudden loss: When life, death, and technology collide

Patients who survive sudden cardiac arrest are at risk for anxiety, depression, and other psychosocial difficulties. By exploring the impact of surviving sudden cardiac arrest as it relates to the expectations and emotions of patients and their families, nurses can promote realistic and readily usable processes for facilitation of healthy grieving, adaptive coping, and reinvestment in life.