Which rhythm best describes an EKG showing a normal sinus rhythm with multifocal premature ventricular contractions?

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Multiple Choice

Which rhythm best describes an EKG showing a normal sinus rhythm with multifocal premature ventricular contractions?

The main idea is that the heart’s normal pacing remains intact, but there are extra beats coming from the ventricles. A normal sinus rhythm means there are P waves preceding every QRS and the overall rhythm is regular. Premature ventricular contractions are early beats that originate in the ventricles, so their QRS complexes are wide and look different from the normal beats, and there’s usually no preceding P wave for those beats. When you see more than one distinct shape of these premature beats, that’s multifocal PVCs, indicating multiple ventricular foci triggering the early contractions. So, if the tracing shows a normal sinus rhythm with occasional wide, abnormal-looking QRS complexes of different morphologies interrupting the rhythm, the correct description is sinus rhythm with multifocal PVCs. This differentiates it from atrial fibrillation (irregular rhythm with no discrete P waves), and from ventricular tachycardia (a sustained, fast, wide-complex rhythm without normal sinus beats).

The main idea is that the heart’s normal pacing remains intact, but there are extra beats coming from the ventricles. A normal sinus rhythm means there are P waves preceding every QRS and the overall rhythm is regular. Premature ventricular contractions are early beats that originate in the ventricles, so their QRS complexes are wide and look different from the normal beats, and there’s usually no preceding P wave for those beats. When you see more than one distinct shape of these premature beats, that’s multifocal PVCs, indicating multiple ventricular foci triggering the early contractions.

So, if the tracing shows a normal sinus rhythm with occasional wide, abnormal-looking QRS complexes of different morphologies interrupting the rhythm, the correct description is sinus rhythm with multifocal PVCs. This differentiates it from atrial fibrillation (irregular rhythm with no discrete P waves), and from ventricular tachycardia (a sustained, fast, wide-complex rhythm without normal sinus beats).

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