A rapid heart rhythm that begins in the ventricle and may lead to cardiac arrest.

• A. Ventricular fibrillation
• B. Atrial tachycardia
• C. Ventricular tachycardia
• D. Supraventricular tachycardia

Answer: (C)

A rapid rhythm that begins in the ventricles is called ventricular tachycardia. The ventricle origin means the electrical impulse starts below the atrioventricular node, causing the ventricles to beat rapidly. This can severely reduce the heart’s ability to pump effectively, leading to low blood flow to the brain and other organs. Because the rhythm is a dangerous, fast ventricular rhythm, it can deteriorate into ventricular fibrillation, a chaotic, uncoordinated contraction that results in sudden cardiac arrest if not treated promptly. Other tachycardias originate in the atria or above the ventricles, so they don’t fit the description of starting in the ventricles, making ventricular tachycardia the correct term for this scenario.