When is an arrhythmia important? Can you tell, or should you always refer to a cardiologist? What are the best management strategies for common arrhythmias and are there any potential problems to be aware of? What about the "do not miss" diagnoses?

Arrhythmias are common in critically unwell patients, and may represent primary cardiac pathology, or the cardiac response to underlying pathology. Estimates for the incidence of arrhythmias in patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) vary widely. Atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia in the ICU, and management varies according to patient instability, underlying comorbidities and conditions, with important features that may favour a rate-control strategy over cardioversion, or a pharmacologic cardioversion over an electrical cardioversion. Atrial tachycardias are less common, but may have important consequences, and be difficult to manage in the intensive care patient. Ventricular arrhythmias are often immediately life threatening, and may require more than an advanced life support (ALS) algorithm to effectively treat and suppress.

The mainstay of therapy for our patients in ICU is pharmacotherapy, usually with amiodarone or diltiazem, however specific circumstances may dictate the use of other antiarrhythmic drugs. Ablation therapies may offer effective treatment for ICU patients, however have risks specific to ICU patients, associated with transport, procedural risk, delay of ongoing therapies, requirement for personnel, and isolated location.

This session will outline a practical approach to diagnosis and management of common and important arrhythmias in the ICU, and will include case and ECG discussions.