What is a second-degree AV block?

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Multiple Choice

What is a second-degree AV block?

Explanation:
Second-degree AV block happens when conduction from the atria to the ventricles is intermittently blocked, so some atrial depolarizations (P waves) do not conduct to the ventricles and a QRS complex is skipped. This results in dropped beats on the ECG. It differs from a complete AV block, where no atrial impulses reach the ventricles at all; from a first-degree block, where every beat is conducted but the PR interval is prolonged; and from arrhythmias with extra beats, which are not about intermittent AV conduction. So the description “failure of some atrial action potentials to reach the ventricles” best fits second-degree AV block.

Second-degree AV block happens when conduction from the atria to the ventricles is intermittently blocked, so some atrial depolarizations (P waves) do not conduct to the ventricles and a QRS complex is skipped. This results in dropped beats on the ECG. It differs from a complete AV block, where no atrial impulses reach the ventricles at all; from a first-degree block, where every beat is conducted but the PR interval is prolonged; and from arrhythmias with extra beats, which are not about intermittent AV conduction. So the description “failure of some atrial action potentials to reach the ventricles” best fits second-degree AV block.

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