icular tachycardia. Figure 6 shows an example.
Occasionally during a ventricular tachycardia, the atrial impulse will break through and manage to depolarize the ventricles. This is seen as the occurrence of a normal beat in the midst of the tachycardia. Such beats are called capture beats and they are also diagnostic of ventricular tachycardia.
Ventricular tachycardia is mostly regular, although the R-R intervals may vary somewhat. Discrete variability in R-R intervals actually suggest ventricular tachycardia. However, polymorphic ventricular tachycardia may be irregular. Supraventricular tachycardias may also be irregular; the most common being atrial fibrillation. Note that pre-excitation during atrial fibrillation causes an irregular wide complex tachcyardia, with heart rate >190 beats per minute in most cases.
Previously existing bundle branch block
Individuals with previously existing conduction defects (right or left bundle branch block) or other causes of wide QRS complexes (pre-excitation, drugs, hyperkalemia) should have their ECGs during tachyarrhythmia compared with the ECG during sinus rhythm (or any earlier ECG). If the QRS morphology during the tachyarrhythmia is similar to the QRS complex in sinus rhythm, it is likely to be an SVT. Moreover, if the patient has recently had premature ventricular complexes, and the QRS during tachyarrhythmia resembles that of the premature ventricular complexes, then it is likely to be ventricular tachycardia.
Electrical axis between –90° and –180° strongly suggest ventricular tachycardia (although antidromic AVRT is a differential diagnosis). If the electrical axis during tachycardia differs >40° from the electrical axis durign sinus rhtyhm, it also suggest ventricular tachycardia. If the tachyarrhythmia has a right bundle branch block pattern but the electrical axis is more negative than –30° it suggests ventricular tachycardia. If the tachyarrhythmia has a left bundle branch block pattern but the electrical axis is more positive than 90° it suggests ventricular tachycardia. In general, left axis deviation suggests ventricular tachycardia.
QRS duration >0.14 s suggest ventricular tachycardia. QRS duration >0.16 s strongly suggest ventricular tachycardia. Note that ventricular tachycardia originating in the interventricular septum may have a relatively narrow QRS complex (0.120–0.145 s). Antidromic AVRT may also have >0.16 s. Class I antiarrhythmic drugs, tricyclic antidepressants and hyperkalemia may also cause very wide QRS complexes.
Concordance in V1–V6
Concordance means that all QRS complexes from lead V1 to lead V6 head in the same direction; all are either positive or negative. If any lead displays biphasic QRS complexes (e.g qR complex or RS complex) there cannot be concordance. Negative concordance (all QRS complexes being negative) strongly suggest ventricular tachycardia). Positive concordance (all QRS complexes being positive) are mostly due to ventricular tachycardia but may be caused by antidromic AVRT. The following figure presents concordance. To conclude, concordance is strongly suggestive of ventricular tachycardia.
Absence of RS complexes
If there is no QRS complex from lead V1 to lead V6 which is an RS complex (i.e consists of an R wave and an S wave), then ventricular tachycardia is very likely.
It is not recommended that adenosine be administered when ventricular tachycardia is suspected, because adenosine may accelerate the frequency and aggravate the arrhythmia. Occasionally adenosine is still administered (when suspecting that the arrhythmia is actually a SVT with wide QRS complexes). If adenosine do not have any effect or if it accelerates the tachycardia, it is likely to be ventricular tachycardia.
In addition to these characteristics, researchers have developed several algorithms to differentiate ventricular tachycardia from SVTs. These algorithms are briefly outlined below (refer to Management and Diagnosis of Tachyarrhythmias for details)
This is the most used algorithm. If any of the five criteria below are fulfilled, a diagnosis of ventricula