Free BCEN Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN) Practice Question

Ventricular tachycardia is characterized by a rapid heart rate originating from the ventricles, typically with a rate of 100-250 beats per minute. It's important to differentiate this from supraventricular tachycardias, which originate above the ventricles. The wide QRS complexes (>0.12 seconds) are a key feature of ventricular tachycardia, distinguishing it from most supraventricular rhythms. Atrial fibrillation, while also a tachyarrhythmia, typically has an irregularly irregular rhythm and narrow QRS complexes unless there's aberrant conduction. Sinus tachycardia is a regular rhythm originating from the sinoatrial node with a rate over 100 bpm but less than 150 bpm in adults, and it maintains normal P waves and narrow QRS complexes.