Cardiac Arrhythmias: Difference between revisions

Reentry or circus movement can arise when an area is slowly conducting thereby still propagating the activation while the rest of the heart depolarizes. When the surrounding myocardium has recovered from this refractory state, and can be stimulated, the impulse in the slow conducting zone can reactivate the heart when it exits the area of slow conduction. This process can repeat itself and thus form the basis of a reentry tachycardia. These areas of slow conduction can be anatomical or functional or a combination of both. Examples of reentry tachycardias are atrial flutter, AVNRT and ventricular tachycardias originating from an infarct zone.